JAKARTA: (Bernama-Antara) Indonesian Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman emphasised that there is no rice scarcity, clarifying that the recent situation was only a shift in rice distribution toward traditional markets, reported Antara news agency.
"Previously, supplies from large factories were mostly directed to modern retail stores. There has now been a slight shift to traditional markets," he told the press in Jakarta on Tuesday (Sept 2), responding to public concerns over declining rice stocks at modern outlets.
According to him, this condition has had a positive impact on traditional markets, increasing their turnover.
He reassured the public that rice availability remains secure and that national production is still well maintained.
On the same occasion, Sulaiman explained that small-scale rice millers have a combined milling capacity of up to 116 million tonnes per year, while national unhusked rice production is only 65 million tonnes. Thus, small-scale millers are capable of absorbing all unhusked rice produced by farmers.
He added that when large- and medium-scale factories face a decline in capacity, supplies naturally shift to small-scale millers, who distribute rice to traditional markets. This explains the shift in distribution without any reduction in availability.
The minister stressed that moving forward, food ecosystems will be strengthened across the supply chain, from fertiliser availability to sustainable rice field development.
He underlined that the government has issued 17 presidential instructions to bolster the food sector, including improvements to fertiliser management, which had previously faced disruptions.
With healthier food ecosystems and better management, Sulaiman expressed optimism that national food security, including rice availability, will continue to improve.
He noted that, according to projections from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), national rice production will reach 31.04 million tonnes in October 2025, surpassing the 2024 output of 30 million tonnes. - Bernama-Antara
