No need to import rice until June 2019: Bulog

Bulog's rice stock currently reached 2.4 million tons.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia will not need to import rice, President Director of the State Logistic Agency (Bulog) Budi Waseso "Buwas" stated. He assured that Bulog has adequate supply of the staple commodity to meet demand until June 2019.

Waseso informed the press here on Wednesday that he had formed a team involving the Agriculture Ministry, Bulog, and independent experts to analyze the national rice demand and supply. He revealed that he team has recommended that Indonesia does not need to import until June 2019.

"Moreover, Bulog might also not have to release its imported rice stock. We have to maintain it. We should not rely on imports," Waseso, popularly known as Buwas, revealed.

According to Buwas, Bulog's rice stock currently reached 2.4 million tons. With imports in October, the total rice stocks had reached 2.8 million tons.

Of the total stock, some 100 thousand tons will be utilized for the distribution of rice for the poor (Rastra). The distribution of Rastra will bring the staple food supply in Bulog's warehouses to 2.7 million tons by the end of December.

The agency has forecast that the rice end-stock could reach three million tons, with additional four thousand tons of daily unhusked rice production during the dry season. "I do not want to continue the polemic on whether we will import (rice) since according to the analysis, we do not need to import. Supply until June 2019 is safe," Buwas pointed out.

He also questioned the authenticity of data on rice consumption in Indonesia that has reached 2.4 to 2.7 million tons per month, which meant rice consumption per capita had reached 130 kilograms per month. Buwas noted that ambiguous data led to assumptions that rice demand had surpassed its actual demand.

"It means that infants would need the same quantity of rice. This data did not categorize according to age, so the assumption (of rice demand) has reached 2.7 million tons. In its calculation, our production has never met the demand," Buwas added.

Earlier, Director General of Foreign Trade Oke Nurwan said shipments of rice imported by Indonesia from India and Pakistan have been delayed on extreme weather. He got the information from the state-owned logistics board, Bulog.

"Information from Bulog said there is problem of bad weather in the exporting countries," Oke said here on Tuesday.

Based on information from the Trade Ministry, Bulog has asked for extension of import license because of the delay in the shipment of 440,000 tons of rice. The request for the import license extension was signed by Bulog chief Budi Waseso on 18 July, 2018 addressed to the Trade Minister.

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