Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, announced government plans to imports an additional 1 million tons of rice to strengthen its government rice reserves (CBP). This increase comes in response to previous shortfalls due to India’s export restrictions, which had initially complicated procurement efforts.
“We’re aiming for another 1 million tons, but the initial ban from India forced us to pivot to a business-to-business (B2B) approach,” Zulkifli stated in Jakarta on October 29, citing Antara.
Indonesia set an import target of 3.6 million tons for 2024, with 2.9 million tons realized between January and August. To meet the full target, the government now plans to bring in an additional 1 million tons between September and December.
Arief Prasetyo, head of Indonesia’s National Food Agency (Bapanas), emphasized that this additional import will depend on the outlook for domestic rice production. “If rice production declines, we’ll move forward with imports to safeguard food reserves,” he noted, while adding that strengthening domestic production remains the priority.
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According to Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS) sample framework as of August 22, rice production is forecasted to rise in the coming months, with an estimated output of 2.87 million tons in September and 2.59 million tons in October. These figures mark an increase from June’s 2.06 million tons and July’s 2.05 million tons.
The BPS survey indicates that September-October rice production may exceed the national consumption rate of 2.58 million tons over the same period, signaling a potential surplus. With collaboration between government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Zulkifli expressed optimism that domestic production could continue to increase, strengthening Indonesia’s food security.
With a focus on strategic imports and boosted domestic production, Indonesia aims to secure a stable rice supply and reinforce food security for the future. As coordination among ministries ramps up, the government remains committed to balancing imports with efforts to enhance local yield, setting a pathway toward greater self-sufficiency and resilience in the face of fluctuating global markets.
(Raidi/Agung)
