JAKARTA - President Director of Perum Bulog Budi Waseso said his company was not harmed by the practice of mixing imported rice Bulog. However, this practice is not justified.
Buwas, Budi Waseso's nickname, explained that the people who were harmed by the cheating practice were the people. The reason is, the imported rice brought in by Bulog is intended for the needs of the community.
As is known, Bulog received an assignment to import 500,000 tons of rice from various countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Pakistan. This rice has entered in stages since the end of December 2022, and is targeted to enter entirely until February 15, 2023.
The purpose of this import is to meet the needs of public consumption as well as to intervene in rice prices in the market which are still expensive.
"If Bulog is not harmed. Because of this we want to reduce inflation, we distribute it for the benefit of the community, but it is not felt by the community," he said during a press conference in Serang, Banten, Friday, February 10.
Even though he felt that Bulog was not harmed, Buwas did not deny that this practice caused the state to suffer losses. Because the number of food inflation continues to rise because the price of rice in the market has not decreased.
The distribution of rice by Bulog for market intervention prices is expensive up to Rp. 12,000 (per kg). So Bulog's job is to carry out market operations for intervention so that the price is cheap. And if this is not (interventional), it will contribute to inflation," he said.
According to Buwas, the price of rice inside is indeed a direct concern for President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). The reason is, rice is one of the largest contributors to food inflation.
"This is what the President paid attention to at the beginning of August to December last year. So that Bulog to meet the shortage of government rice reserves must import," he said.
Regarding the fraudulent practice of selling Bulog rice, said Buwas, it will continue to be monitored by the Police Food Task Force. The supervision of Bulog's market operations rice will continue to be developed throughout Indonesia.
"Because I brought in imported rice, I dropped it at 12 provincial points that needed this rice. If it is not monitored, then this rice will disappear. It is lost in the sense that the word will not affect the problem of lowering prices," he said.
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