Indonesia plans to import 2 mln tonnes of rice in 2024

Indonesia plans to import 2 million tonnes of rice in 2024 (Photo: Reuters)

Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian government agreed to assign the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to import 2 million tonnes of rice in 2024 in order to ensure the government rice reserves (CBP) and cope with insufficient food supply in the country, said President of Bulog Bayu Krisnamurthi on January 11 

Bayu said that the task of importing 2 million tonnes of rice in 2023 faced difficulties due to transportation issues. Silt problems in the Suez Canal and conflicts in the Middle East hampered the supply of imported food. Currently, the CBP in Bulog warehouse is still maintained safely. Bulog will ensure the supply of 1.3 million tonnes of CBP for rice aid distribution and market operations starting from January 2024.

According to Bayu, rice prices will see an upward trend in 2024 due to slow recovery in domestic production, high production costs, especially fertilizer, and policies to protect supply sources of rice producing countries. Therefore, the rice import policy needs to continue to be implemented in the near future.

Previously, President Jokowi confirmed that Indonesia will import 1 million tonnes of rice from India and 2 million tonnes from Thailand to ensure the safety of Indonesia's national rice reserves by 2024./.