Jokowi Orders Distribution Of 10 Kg Of Rice For KPM For 3 Months

Indonesian President Joko Widodo gave directions at the 2023 National Coordination Meeting for Inflation Control at the State Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (31/8/2023). BETWEEN Dwi Gayati

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo ordered the distribution of 10 kilograms of rice to 21.3 million beneficiary families (KPM) for three months starting September 2023. This was conveyed by Jokowi at the 2023 National Coordination Meeting for Inflation Control at the State Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, August 31. "Starting in early September this will be distributed as soon as possible, the food assistance for one beneficiary family will receive 10 kilograms of rice. This is also like a market operation," Jokowi said as quoted by Antara. Jokowi explained that the food assistance in the form of 10 kg of rice will be distributed every month to KPM from September to November 2023 or reach 210 thousand tons of rice per month. Currently, the Government's rice reserve stock (CBP) managed by Perum Bulog reaches 1.6 million tons so that it is considered still sufficient for national needs. "The stock in Bulog, which is usually 1.2 (million tons), I asked Mr. Buwas (Director of Perum Bulog) in the warehouse, already has 1.6 million tons. This means that from the stock side it owns and on the way there are 400 thousand. This is used to control prices," he said. The Head of State acknowledged that the price of rice still has an increase of around 5-6 percent from normal prices, but it must be watched out for so that inflation remains under control, one of which is through the food assistance. He also asked stakeholders, such as Perum Bulog and local governments, to use their budget to intervene in the market if rice prices are still unstable.

The President hopes that these efforts can maintain the inflation rate, even decreasing by 2.5 percent by 2024. "Don't let our inflation rise again because it will be very burdensome for the community," said President Jokowi.