JAKARTA - Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman claims that rice is no longer a major contributor to national inflation. At the same time, the government's rice stock is said to have exceeded Bulog's storage capacity.
Amran made the statement after meeting President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, June 18.
According to Amran, the national rice stock currently reaches around 5.2 million tons. This amount is greater than the capacity of Bulog warehouses which are only around 3 million tons.
As a result, Bulog had to rent additional warehouses to accommodate around 2.2 million tons of rice.
"If you are not sure, please go to the Bulog warehouse throughout Indonesia," said Amran.
He also emphasized that the government would not issue permits for the import of medium rice throughout 2025.
According to Amran, this condition shows that the national rice supply is in a relatively safe position.
Amran said the government currently has a rice stock of around 5.2 million tons. In addition, there is a standing crop or crop that is still in the field with an estimated production of 10 million to 11 million tons.
Rice reserves in households, hotels, and restaurants are also estimated to reach 12.5 million tons.
With this condition, the government estimates that national food needs can still be met for about 10 months.
Amran also dismissed the notion that self-sufficiency meant that there should be no imports at all.
According to Amran, based on the standards of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a country can still be called self-sufficient even if it imports within certain limits.
Currently, the need for commodities that are still dependent on imports such as garlic, soybeans, and meat is only around 3.5 million tons. Meanwhile, the total national food production reached around 73 million tons.
In addition, Amran said rice was no longer the main contributor to inflation for two consecutive years.
"This was conveyed by the Minister of Home Affairs," he said.
The government also admitted that it had prepared anticipatory steps to face the potential of El Nino through the construction of ponds, deep wells, pump irrigation, pompanization, optimization of swamp land, and rice field printing programs.
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