Bulog's Rice Supply Is Insufficient In Needs, The Evidence Is Medium Quality Rice Still Lang And Increasingly Mahal

Bulog Rice/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA - One week has passed, the supply of rice to traders in the Cipinang Main Market, East Jakarta, has stalled due to the scarcity of medium to premium rice stocks. This scarcity of rice has occurred since August last year. Although Bulog has distributed three thousand tons of rice, this figure is considered insufficient to meet the rice needs in the Cipinang Main Market. This stock shortage also has an impact on the increase in rice prices. The increase varies, between 30 to 50 percent of the normal price. Like premium quality rice which was initially sold for 10 thousand per kilogram, now reaches 12 thousand per kilogram. Meanwhile, for medium quality, from 8 thousand per kilogram, it has now increased to 10 thousand per kilogram. Fauzan, a rice trader admits an increase in rice prices is getting higher and the difficulty of getting rice supply in January 2023 "Yes, rice which has not previously gone up like rice (quality) premium for 10 thousand is now already 12 thousand more. Rice (quality) medium is now above 10 thousand, in fact, the goods are scarce," Fauzan told reporters, Tuesday, January 31. Fauzan said, the scarcity of rice has occurred since November 2022 and is accompanied by an increase in price. As a result of scarcity and rising rice prices, traders are difficult to get rice to resell. "As a result, we cannot shop, the subscription also complains, it is difficult to sell. Starting from the early January height, it has continued to increase until now. The average increase is around 30 percent," he said. Previously, the Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi encouraged Bulog rice to retail sales. The goal is that the distribution of medium rice in the context of stagnation of Rice Supply and Rice Price (SPHP) can be expanded and improved. According to Arief, this step was taken to improve the implementation of SPHP according to the direction of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in order to stabilize rice prices at the consumer level. The expansion and increase in the distribution of SPHP through the retail market is in line with the President's direction so that we are aware of the increase in rice prices by carrying out massive stabilization steps, "he said in an official statement, Sunday, January 29.