Will Market Floods, Buwas: Bulog Ready To Use Rice Stocks

President Director of Perum Bulog Budi Waseso (center). (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - President Director of Perum Bulog Budi Waseso said his party was ready to spend stock in the warehouse to flood the market with Bulog rice stocks. This step was taken to reduce the current price fluctuation.

Buwas, Budi Waseso's nickname, said the move was also in accordance with the direction of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the Limited Meeting on Wednesday, January 31.

Jokowi asked Bulog to be more massive in stabilizing prices.

Buwas explained that market operations have been going on non-stop since last year until now as an effort to reduce price fluctuations caused by a lack of supply in the market and society.

"Especially for the Cipinang Rice Main Market, we will top up this market operation from 13,000 to 30,000 tons by paying attention to the offline so that irregularities do not occur," said Buwas, at a press conference at the Bulog Headquarters, Thursday, February 2.

Buwas said that from the beginning of the year until today Bulog had poured 186,000 tons of market operations throughout Indonesia.

His party has also issued instructions to all ranks that the Supply Stabilization and Food Price (SPHP) program or market operations must run smoothly until rice prices stabilize.

"For this reason, the public does not need to worry, because Bulog guarantees the availability of rice in the community at affordable prices even though on the market there is a slight price increase," he explained.

Buwas admitted to continuously monitoring the current situation.

Bulog, he continued, will continue to flood the market with the strength of the government's rice reserves (CBP).

"Currently, where there are additional imported rice. In addition, we also involve all networks of Market Operations, including distributors, retailers, modern retailers and our Food House network," he said.

The current stock controlled by Bulog is 594,000 tons, including the remaining imported rice on its way.

This amount is sufficient to flood the market to the big harvest which will take place soon.

"We are not worried about stock availability because soon we will enter the main harvest, so even the stock in the warehouse for market operations will not be a problem because it will soon be filled back with domestic harvests," he said.