Ministry Of Agriculture's Rice ATM Program Which Is Limited To 10 Kodim Jabodetabek

Head of the Agricultural Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture Fadjry Djufry (BNPB documentation)

JAKARTA - The rice ATM program initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture has distributed 155 tons of rice to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This number will continue to grow because the program will be implemented until the end of the month of Ramadan.

"We are working with the TNI to deliver approximately 155 tons of rice and God willing, it will continue until during the month of Ramadan at least," said the Head of the Agricultural Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fadjry Djufry in a press conference broadcast on the official BNPB YouTube account, Tuesday. , May 5.

These rice ATMs are limited to 10 Military District Commands (Kodim) in the Jabodetabek area. This assistance, said Fadjry, was channeled in collaboration with various parties including the TNI and a number of banking companies.

So that the TNI participates in this distribution, including maintaining order and discipline of the citizens when taking rice through ATM machines located at the 10 Kodim.

"So that residents who take the rice are not too or can be done in an orderly manner in accordance with the COVID-19 countermeasures protocol," he said.

Through this program, each of the 1,500 heads of households gets an allocation of 1.5 kg of rice per day. To access this machine, residents only need to carry an ATM card belonging to Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) which is distributed at the Kodim where the ATM is located.

People who receive assistance are only those who have been recorded by each Kodim and the use of this ATM, said Fadjry, also aims to maintain health protocols when taking assistance.

"This also aims to educate the public so that they understand the meaning of physical distancing, while maintaining a distance from each other," he said.

Fadjry also emphasized that until now there has been no intention from the Ministry of Agriculture to add rice ATM locations apart from the 10 Kodim which are spread across the Jabodetabek area.

"Hopefully this COVID-19 will not last long so that this assistance can be effective to people who really need it," he concluded.