Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo on May 13 revealed that the realisation of rice imports through State Logistics Agency (Bulog) was only less than 5% of the total national needs.
According to the President, rice imports need be conducted to maintain stable prices of the commodity at the consumer level.
He said that the rice imported from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Pakistan was not enough to accommodate rice needs for 280 million Indonesians.
President Widodo ensured the availability and stability of the national food supply and also distributing food reserve assistance to beneficiary families.
He confirmed that the distribution of 10 kilograms of rice aid every month to beneficiary families will continue until June and is expected to be extended until December, depending on the availability of the State Budget.
The rice aid initiative was the government's response to the increase in rice prices due to global food inflation. The price of rice in Indonesia is still relatively affordable, as compared to other countries that experienced a price hike of up to 50%.
Based on the latest data at the start of May 2024, the realisation of rice imports had reached 1.3 million tonnes from a total quota of 3.6 million tonnes.
Bulog projected the demand for rice in Indonesia in 2024 to reach 31.2 million tonnes. This means that the realisation of rice imports in Indonesia had only reached 4.1% of the total demand in the country./.
