Badanas Calls Impact Of Any Quality And Panen Dry Grain Adjustments Triggering Rice Prices To Rise

Dry rice (Photo: Between)

JAKARTA The Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), I Gusti Ketut Astawa, said that the national rice stock was in a safe condition even though prices in the field had increased.

According to him, the increase in rice prices cannot be separated from the adjustment of the price of harvested dry grain (GKP) from Rp. 6,000 to Rp. 6,500 per kilogram. This adjustment was made to provide welfare for farmers, but had an impact on rice prices at the consumer level.

"With a relatively high price, GKP has been increased from Rp. 6,000 to Rp. 6,500 in order to secure farmers. But from our calculations, Rp. 6,500 together are relative, HKTI and so on can accept and be comfortable," he said in a Public Discussion held by the Indonesian Ombudsman, in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 26.

He explained that the decision to purchase unhulled rice with any quality scheme made the price of GKP reach Rp. 6,800 per kilogram, while the average price of milled dry unhulled rice (GKG) was in the range of Rp. 7,200' Rp. 7,300 per kilogram.

"There is a next decision to decide any quality. If we talk about any quality then the fall (purchase of grain by the government) must be 68 (Rp 6,800). Why? Because any quality means that the position of unhulled rice is not around 30-55 percent (quality), while the standard unhulled rice is around 14-15 percent, so this is with a process and so on, the GKP principal falls at Rp 6,800, although in GKG the average is 72-73 (Rp 7,200-Rp 7,300), "explained Ketut.

Regarding public concerns about rice prices, Ketut ensured that the government had prepared a number of stabilization measures, one of which was by accelerating the distribution of rice stabilization of Supply and Food Prices (SPHP) by Bulog.

In addition, the government has also distributed food assistance as much as 360,000 tons of rice to 18.2 million beneficiary families (KPM) for two months. This program has proven to be able to reduce price increases in the field.

"Once again, the stock is safe, the price has indeed increased due to the consequences of the GKP which has indeed increased from Rp. 6,000 to Rp. 6,500 per quality again. So, automatically the basic ingredients rather than rice milling must have gone up. This automatically causes an increase in prices. Therefore, the process in controlling government prices has been carried out and hopefully with a more massive SPHP made by Bulog friends can also control prices," concluded Ketut.