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Rice production sharply down so far this year
Nationwide rice production is projected to be almost 2.5 million tonnes lower in the first half of this year than in the same period last year, sparking concern over full-year output as the dry season is right on the doorstep.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo answers reporters' questions about rice supplies at the annual gathering of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) in Jakarta on June 10, 2024. (JP/Deni Ghifari)
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lmost halfway into 2024, Indonesia’s rice production is far behind the output seen last year, the National Food Agency (Bapanas) has revealed, sparking concern over full-year output as the dry season begins.
Speaking in a hearing with House of Representatives Commission IV, which oversees agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food production, Bapanas head Arief Prasetyo Adi said the latest projection pointed to a mere 18.64 million tonnes of domestic supply through June, 2.47 million tonnes less than in last year’s first half.
“That has become our concern facing the coming months, given that we are entering the dry season,” Arief told lawmakers on Monday.
However, he also said that stocks of 12 strategic foodstuffs, including rice, were “safe and sufficient” to get the country through the year.
In the same hearing, State Logistics Agency (Bulog) president director Bayu Krisnamurthi explained that the government rice reserves (CBP) now amounted to 1.77 million tonnes, some 216,000 tonnes of which were “still on the way”.
“With current position, God willing, [the stocks] are enough for undertaking programs the government appointed to Bulog until the end of the year,” said Bayu.
He added, however, that the government had instructed the body responsible for managing the CBP to “stand by” and be ready to import the rest of this year’s assigned quota.
