Indonesia : Govt moves to secure premium rice supply amid shortage
Indonesia is strengthening premium rice supplies through modern retail networks after reported shortages. Bulog plans to distribute one million tonnes of SPHP rice, while allocating up to 75,000 tonnes of premium rice monthly to selected retailers amid tighter quality oversight.
Indonesia’s Trade Minister Budi Santoso said the ministry continues to maintain communication with stakeholders, including modern retail networks, regarding the supply of premium rice, which had reportedly experienced a shortage in recent weeks.
“We continue to communicate with modern retailers, so that Bulog (the State Logistics Agency) can keep supplying both traditional markets and modern retail outlets,” Santoso said here on Monday.
The government has also asked Bulog to optimise the distribution of its available premium rice stock.
“There is a government policy and Bulog will also supply the product,” he added.
As a mitigation step to ensure rice supply remains stable and avoid shortages in the market, Bulog had previously announced it would release one million tons of Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP) rice, known as Beras Kita brand.
Earlier, Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) and Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman had asked Bulog to optimise the distribution of its available premium rice stock to strengthen supply in modern retail networks.
Sulaiman stressed that premium rice must reach the public, especially after the government conducted oversight of a number of fortified rice products suspected of not meeting requirements.
This supply strengthening is being carried out alongside oversight measures on rice circulating in the market to ensure that products meet quality standards and label information.
Sulaiman said the government found indications that some products had been altered to pass as fortified rice, which was followed up with testing by four credible laboratories.
Meanwhile, Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani said his side continues to strengthen the availability of premium rice for consumers by channeling supply through modern retail networks.
Based on the distribution allocation data, Bulog has prepared a premium rice supply of up to 75,000 tons per month for a number of modern retail networks.
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Source : Antara News
