From 20 To 5 Tons: Mataram Faces 2026 With Minimum Rice Reserves

Head of the Mataram City Food Security Service (DKP) Sudirman. BETWEEN/Nirkomala.

MATARAM - The Mataram City Food Security Service (DKP), West Nusa Tenggara, stated that the allocation of disaster reserve rice for 2026 fell drastically to five tons from the 2025 allocation which reached 20 tons.

The head of the Mataram City DKP, Sudirman, said the decline was influenced by the national government's budget efficiency policy.

Nevertheless, he ensured that disaster management needs could still be supported through available reserve stocks.

"Our total food reserve rice in 2026 will decrease compared to the 2025 allocation and the previous year it was 20 tons," said Sudirman in Mataram, Antara, Friday, December 5.

He explained that the 2025 disaster reserve rice stock was only realized at the end of November. Therefore, the remaining stock can still be used for disaster management until mid-2026.

With the reduction in physical allocation, the budget for the procurement of reserve rice has also decreased. In 2025, DKP received a budget of Rp. 275 million for the procurement of 20 tons of rice. However, in 2026, only around Rp. 59 million was due to the procurement of only five tons.

According to Sudirman, the readiness of food reserves is important considering that Mataram City has a vulnerability to hydrometeorological disasters during the rainy season. As a coastal area with a coastline of 9.1 kilometers, Mataram often faces floods, landslides, and coastal abrasion.

Residents on the coast are affected by tidal flooding almost every year due to tidal waves. So we have to prepare everything to ease the burden on disaster victims," he said.

Regarding the distribution mechanism, Sudirman explained that reserve rice can only be issued through a Decree (SK) of the Mayor of Mataram. The disaster-affected sub-district must submit a request for assistance to the DKP as the basis for processing the decree.

"After the regional head's approval, then we will remove the rice. In essence, rice assistance must go through the mayor's approval," he said.