TIME.CO, Jakarta – Minister of Agriculture or Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo was reluctant to answer the question that the National Food Agency (Bapanas) was ready to import 200 thousand tons of rice. “Oh, don’t ask me (rice import),” he said after the Tempo Ministry Award 2022 event at The Sultan Hotel & Residence, Central Jakarta on Friday night, August 9, 2022.
He said it was obviously done with rational considerations. “Of course there are just rational considerations (rice imports) not for consumption,” Syahrul said.
However, he admitted that he was confident that Indonesia’s rice stocks would be safe until the end of the year. The data presented by the agriculture ministry, Syahrul said, complies with BPS data, in addition to the fact that it also uses troop data streamed via satellite.
“Other than that, reporting is business as usual. But they all relate to data BPS extension. Safe (rice stocks) till Christmas and New Year, very safe,” Syahrul said.
Earlier, Babas Arief chief Prasetyo Adi said the government was ready to import 200,000 tonnes of commercial rice. “These food reserves must be available and not freely distributed, only used for different government activities,” Arief said in the cabinet plenary session at the State Palace, Jakarta on Monday, December 6, 2022.
He said the imported rice stocks were only used under certain conditions, such as disaster management, price intervention if needed and various other government activities. Their use will also be closely monitored to ensure that no one enters the market. However, Arief did not explain where the imported rice came from.
Next: Bapanas promised rice imports would not interfere with farmers’ harvests
