A vendor waits for customers at a rice kiosk in Jakarta on Feb 28, 2024, amid rising prices and shortages of the staple in Indonesia. - AFP
JAKARTA: Indonesia's food procurement company Bulog is optimistic rice prices will be under control ahead of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan that starts in the second week of March as harvests improve supplies, its chief executive said on Thursday (Feb 29).
Prices for rice, the staple for most of Indonesia's 270 million people, have soared more than 16% since last year as the El Nino weather phenomenon cut rainfall across large parts of Asia in 2023, reducing output and sparking food inflation pressure for some of the world's most price-sensitive consumers.
Rice harvests have started in some areas with supplies starting to flow into some of the main rice markets in the country, Bulog Chief executive Bayu Krisnamurthi said.
On top of the harvests, Bulog has secured commitments of 1.2 million metric tonnes of rice for imports, he added.
"I approached colleagues in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, we made a commitment, although we do not immediately buy in the spot market, but we already have commitments for the upcoming months," he said.
Earlier this month, Indonesia added 1.6 million tonnes to its rice import quota, on top of 2 million tonnes allocated previously, although permits for the new quota are still being processed. - Reuters
