KOMPAS. com – The government of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially opened the tap rice imports this year. Rice import carried out to increase the stock of government rice reserves (CBP) in Perum Bulog.
With a purchase cost of IDR 4.4 trillion, the Indonesian government imported a total of 500,000 tons of imported rice.
In the first stage, Indonesia imported rice from Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan. In addition, from January to February 2022, the government will again import up to 300,000 tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand.
I was shy about importing rice
The rice import policy itself seems to contradict Jokowi’s frequent promises to refuse rice imports. Where self-sufficiency is the way out.
Even in 2014 or the year at the start of his administration’s first term, he admitted that he was very embarrassed when he spoke about Indonesia’s dependence on imported rice.
On several occasions blusukan or even face-to-face with wheat farmers, Jokowi dutifully shared his experience when he met Truong Tan Sang, president of Vietnam 2011-2016.
“I was embarrassed when I met the Vietnamese president a month ago. When I just met him, I was asked what to try? President Jokowi, when will you buy rice from me again? Try it, don’t you feel embarrassed?” Jokowi said in front of farmers in Bojong Jaya subdistrict, Subang, West Java, quoted by the news Kompas.com December 26, 2014.
Jokowi also felt very hurt by his pride as President of the Republic of Indonesia. According to him, Indonesia as an agricultural country should be able to be sovereign in the food sector.
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“We no longer want our country to import rice from abroad!” he said.
While still running for president in 2014, Joko Widodo also firmly admitted that he would stop the food import policy if he was elected president in 2014 with his deputy, M Jusuf Kalla.
According to Jokowi, Indonesia, which has abundant natural wealth and fertile soil, should become an exporting country.
“We must have the courage to stop importing food, stop importing rice, stop importing meat, stop importing soybeans, stop importing vegetables, stop importing fruit, stop importing fish. We have it all,” Jokowi told the BBC. Assakinah Meeting Hall, Cianjur, West Java, as reported by Kompas.com on July 2, 2014.
According to Jokowi, the government must stop imports to stimulate farmers to be more enthusiastic about production. Jokowi also praised the fluffier and more fragrant Cianjur rice.
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“Imagine, we are working hard on production, uh there are imports. That accident makes us lazy to produce. Therefore, farmers must be glorified,” he said.
reasons for importing rice
Reported by Between, Perum Bulog chief manager Budi Waseso ensures that the stability of rice price in the market can be maintained by increasing Bulog-controlled government rice stocks through the influx of imported rice arriving through Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta.
Budi Waseso together with Commerce Minister Zulkifli Hasan and National Food Agency head Arief Prasetyo Adi reviewed the first unloading of 10,000 tonnes of imported rice at Tanjung Priok port.
Commerce Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the amount of rice to be imported is 500,000 tonnes which will enter in installments until February 2023, i.e. before the main harvest.
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“Actually, no one wants to import if the stock is sufficient, but the rice price has skyrocketed in recent months and Bulog’s stock for market operations has decreased, so we urgently need overseas stock to reduce this price increase.” some rice,” said Zulkifli Hasan.
Budi Waseso said Bulog will import up to 200,000 tonnes which will be shipped gradually until the end of 2022.
“Alhamdulillah, today Bulog received an additional 10,000 tons of Government Reserves of Rice (CBP) for the first import vessel from Vietnam which had just arrived and will continue to increase as there are already many vessels imported from Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and Myanmar si will support,” Budi Waseso said.
As many as 10,000 tons of newly arrived imported rice were unloaded at Tanjung Priok Port up to 5,000 tons and 5,000 tons arrived at Merak Port.
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The head of the National Food Agency, Arief Prasetyo Adi, stressed that this rice import was not a wish of Bulog, but the result of two coordination meetings attended by various political leaders in order to increase reserves government rice in order to maintain price stability in the market.
“If necessary, this imported rice will be distributed in the context of Christmas and New Year, so there will be no price fluctuations,” Arief said.
Bulog Public Corporation managing director Budi Waseso said up to 200,000 tons of imported rice by the end of 2022 would enter Indonesia through 14 ports in Indonesia, namely the ports of Malahayati and Lhokseumawe (Aceh), Belawan ( Medan), Dumai (Riau), Teluk Bayur (Padang), New Boom (Palembang), Long (Lampung).
Then Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Merak (Banten), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya) and Tenau (Kupang). Then the rest will be done next year until before the main harvest.
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The policy of sourcing rice from abroad is solely to strengthen the national rice reserves.
This policy will not interfere with farmers’ rice because it is only used under certain conditions. Such as disaster management, price intervention if needed, and many other government activities.
(Author: Sabrina Asril | Curator: Desy Afrianti)
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