Indonesia hopeful rice prices to fall as supply improves

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.