JAKARTA: Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman says that the government increased the national rice reserve to a record multi year-high of 3.5 million tonnes during the first four months of this year.
Rice is one of the most carefully monitored and regulated commodities, given that it is the country’s number one staple in terms of consumption, Kontan.co.id reported.
The national stockpile enables the government to intervene through market operations to control the domestic price of rice.
The state rice reserve expanded from 1.7 million tonnes after the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) procured 1.8 million tonnes from local farmers in the January to April period.
The announcement followed a projection last Friday by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) that domestic rice production this year would reach 18.76 million tonnes in the first six months, an increase of 11.17% from the same period last year.
The United States Department of Agriculture has forecast that Indonesia’s rice production in 2025 will increase from 30 million to 34.6 million tonnes, making it the top rice producer in South-East Asia.
Meanwhile, BPS data showed that rice production declined in 2024 to 30.62 million tonnes, dipping 1.54% from 31.1 million tonnes produced in 2023.
Amran added that the amount of rice procurement had surpassed the Bulog average, and that the agency would need to seek additional storage of 1.1 million tonnes.
The minister also said that President Prabowo Subianto had instructed the immediate construction of an emergency storage facility to ensure the absorption of all locally produced rice.
He added that the national rice reserve could increase to around four million tonnes by the end of May.
Amran expressed optimism that the target could be attained quickly, and said the government would seek to strengthen and monitor progress in expanding the country’s rice reserve.
The increase in domestic rice production has prompted the government to plan on exporting the food commodity to countries in need, with the president authorising exports to several countries by request.
The Agriculture Ministry rejected a request from Malaysia, however, insisting on prioritising the national reserve. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
