Even Though The Rice Fields Are Flooded, Bulog Ensures Safe Rice Stocks Until The Fasting Month

Bulog rice. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Perum Bulog ensures that rice stocks enter the fasting month and Eid Al-Fitr 2021 is safe. This is despite the heavy rains that have occurred in the last few days that have caused 32 thousand hectares of rice fields to be flooded in parts of Indonesia.

Director of Supply Chain and Public Service of Perum Bulog, Mokhamad Suyamto, said that the flooded rice fields did not significantly affect the stock of rice availability. This is because Bulog has sufficient rice stock.

Regarding the need for rice, according to Mokhamad, the needs of bulog must be separated from the perspective of resilience and the needs of the community. When it comes to resilience, what must be calculated is how much Bulog's stock is distributed. This need adapts to market needs through availability and price stabilization activities.

That means, said Mokhamad, with a stock of bulog of 1 million tons, with the need for stabilization until the first semester of 2021, the average need is around 60 thousand to 300 thousand. So, in terms of the need for Bulog stock is very sufficient. Moreover, there will be additional absorption during the main harvest in March.

Mokhamad said that while the rice stock was linked to people's needs, an average of 2.3 million to 2.5 million tons. However, this amount can be sufficient. Because, based on BPS data, the production surplus at the end of the year was 7 million tons.

Moreover, said Mokhamad, the forecast for the production of milled dry unhulled unhulled rice (GKG) in February is around 4.2 million tons, after being converted into rice at around 2.4 million tons. This month there is also a surplus, but only around 100 thousand tons. Bulog also has year-end reserve stocks.

"We also harvest (feast) in March, equivalent to 5.7 million tons of grain. This means that this is very safe for that need. So by looking at the data released by BPS for rice needs up to semester 1 before the peak will enter the fasting month and Eid al-Fitr is very safe, "he said, in Jakarta, Wednesday, February 24.

Harvest in parts of Indonesia will be delayed

Mokhamad said that 32 thousand hectares of flooded rice fields in parts of Indonesia will affect harvest time. However, it will not affect rice stocks.

According to him, when there was a flood, he immediately went down to Karawang, Cirebon and Subang to check the flooded rice fields. He said, the affected rice fields were only one month old for planting.

Furthermore, Mokhamad said, farmers whose rice fields were flooded had to replant their seeds. This is what causes the harvest time to delay.

"The impact is not significant (to the rice stock), but there will be a setback for the main harvest period which will be (conducted) in April or July," he explained.

Even so, Mokhamad assesses that this is actually beneficial for farmers. This is because when the harvest is carried out simultaneously, the selling price of grain will be cheaper. Meanwhile, if the harvest is delayed, the price will be higher.

"In fact, it is more beneficial to price stability at the farm level, because of what? Harvesting is delayed, not all of the peak harvest was in March so the price received by farmers that he harvested will be higher," he said.