he government plans to import 1 million tonnes of rice in early 2025 to meet demand amid a projected decline in domestic production this year.
According to data collected by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), rice production is estimated to decline by 2.43 percent this year.
National Food Agency (Bapanas) head Arief Prasetyo Adi said the historical data pointed to a year-on-year (yoy) production decline in the December-to-February period, which would increase pressure on rice stocks.
“There is going to be additional [imports] of 1 million tonnes. That [figure of] 1 million tonnes, of course, takes into account the [expected domestic output], as well as how many reserves we must get through February [of 2025],” said Arief on Tuesday, as reported by Bisnis.com.
Arief added that the government was currently trying to strengthen domestic production.
“We all have tried [to procure more rice] from domestic production, but projections from BPS say [the production] is inadequate. We must have reserves,” said Arief.
Rice is one of the most carefully watched and regulated commodities in the archipelago given its status as the number one staple in terms of consumption. Despite this, domestic production often fails to meet nationwide demand, and when that happens, the government tends to procure rice from abroad to ensure price stability.
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