Bulog Targets 28,200 Tons Of Imported Sugar From India Entering Early June

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Perum Bulog targets 28,200 imported sugar from India to enter in the first week of June. Meeting sugar needs is hampered by regional quarantine or lockdown policies imposed by importing countries to break the chain of transmission of the corona virus or COVID-19.

Director of Operations and Public Services of Perum Bulog Tri Wahyudi Saleh said, to meet sugar needs, the government has assigned Bulog to import 50,000 tons of White Crystal Sugar (GKP).

Tri said that the reasliation of sugar imports had only been fulfilled by 21,800 tons, which entered from the Port of Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta on May 5. Meanwhile, the remaining 28,200 tonnes will arrive via ports in the Surabaya area in early June.

"Hopefully the first week of June 2020 will enter. India is still in lockdown, InshaAllah the first week of June will enter 28,200 tons," he said in a virtual discussion, Monday, May 18.

Bulog, said Tri, has distributed the imported sugar to all regions in Indonesia. It is hoped that this amount can meet national needs until Eid Al-Fitr or Eid.

"We have distributed it to all regions. If you see the need, InshaAllah Lebaran will be 21,800 tons. Now we are conducting market operations, this is the enthusiasm of the people," he said.

Furthermore, Tri details the distribution of sugar, for example in DKI Jakarta, there is a movement of 8,800 tons to add 4,978 tons of stock, to West Java 3,500 tons to add 2,056 tons of existing stock, to Papua there is a movement of 1,000 tons to add as much as stock. 523 tons, for North Sumatra there is movement of 1,000 tons to increase the stock of around 654 tons and other areas.

According to Tri, the sugar is sold in bulk to traders at a price of Rp. 11,000 per kilogram. It is hoped that by doing so, the price of sugar will stabilize according to the Highest Retail Price (HET).

"In Papua the price of sugar reaches Rp 19,000-20,000 per kilogram. Later, traders or distributors sell to consumers a maximum of Rp. 12,500 per kilogram, so this is the same in all regions," he said.

To accelerate the decline in sugar prices in the market, Tri asked other BUMNs that are also tasked with importing sugar, such as PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI) and PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PPI) to immediately realize the sugar import assignment given by the government. Where each company also has the same absorption task as Bulog.

"So hopefully friends from other BUMNs such as PPI, RNI hopefully will be able to enter soon, because they have the same quota of around 50,000 tons," he said.