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Facing pressure from farmers and agencies, Govt delays rice imports to June
The State Logistics Agency plans to procure more locally grown rice to build the country's buffer stock.
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Workers unload rice imported from Vietnam at Tenau Port in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Feb. 13. (Antara/ Kornelis Kaha)
T
he government has pledged to postpone this year’s 1 million ton rice import plan until June following mounting pressure from farmers, experts and state agencies over the past month as the country nears peak harvest season in April through May.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the government would put the plan on hold until June as the price of unhusked rice was below expectations for a harvest season.
“I want to emphasize that the rice has not arrived yet,” Jokowi said in a video released on March 26. “I guarantee that farmers’ rice will be bought by Bulog [State Logistics Agency] and I will soon order the Finance Ministry to help with the budget.”
Jokowi added that the government had agreements with Thailand and Vietnam on rice imports, but added they were the last resort aimed at guarding against uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rice import plan came at a time when the country’s rice production was estimated to increase by 26.84 percent year-on-year (yoy) to 14.54 million tons in the January-April period with a larger harvest area, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
Read also: Rice imports back in spotlight as govt plans to buy up to 1.5m tons
Rice imports are a recurring point of contention between the government and farmers' associations. The former imports rice to build reserves to shield the poor from high prices and shortages, while the latter, most of whom are low-income people themselves, seek to sell their yields at the highest possible prices.
