Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the immediate construction of thousands of emergency rice warehouses after national stockpile reached record highs, overwhelming existing storage facilities operated by the state logistics agency, Bulog.
Speaking at a National Education Day event in Bogor on Friday, May 2, Prabowo said the move is aimed at ensuring the government can continue absorbing rice from farmers during the ongoing harvest season.
“Officials came to me and said, ‘Sir, we’re confused, there are no more warehouses,’” Prabowo said, as reported by Antara. “So, I initiated an emergency program to build temporary warehouses.”
Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman reported that Bulog’s current rice stock has hit 3.5 million metric tons as of May 4. This figure considered the highest level in the 57-year history of the agency.
Amran said the government will continue to strengthen and monitor rice reserves until they reach the target of 4 million metric tons. He expressed confidence that the goal will be achieved in the near future
“We never imagined that Bulog’s warehouses would be completely full,” said Amran on Sunday. “That’s why the President instructed us to quickly build emergency storage, so we can continue absorbing farmers’ rice.”
In response to the surge in rice stockpile, Prabowo has ordered the construction of at least 25,000 temporary warehouses across the country. The makeshift facilities will be built from durable materials and are expected to last five to ten years.
“A total of 25,000 temporary storage facilities will be built using materials durable enough to last five to ten years, while we work on constructing permanent warehouses in every village,” President Prabowo said.
These measures will serve until permanent warehouses can be established under the government’s Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (Red-and-White Village Cooperatives) program.
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The President added that the broader cooperative initiative, set to begin within the next three to four months, will include cold storage facilities to preserve not only rice, but also perishable crops like fruits and vegetables. The project will span 80,000 villages across the country.
“In the future, no harvest will go to waste,” Prabowo said. “Every village will have cold storage, so produce can be stored properly and won’t rot before reaching the market.”
(Raidi/Agung)
