The government will boost national food resiliency and prepare various strategic moves to anticipate the global food crisis, Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto stated during a limited coordination meeting on the food policy.
“This meeting is a follow up to the president’s instruction on strategic food availability which, until July, is relatively safe, both in terms of supply and price stability,” he noted here Thursday.
The meeting, attended by several ministries or institutions leaders, discussed the latest conditions concerning the national food situation and precautionary measures against global crisis in the food sector.
At the meeting, discussions were also held on various efforts to be made to maintain national food resiliency.
Indonesia has adequate food availability until the end of 2024, Hartarto stated.
In fact, Indonesia no longer imported rice in the last three years. The meeting also discussed Indonesia’s plan to immediately export rice.
Based on data outlined during the internal meeting with the president, rice stocks, as per December 2021, stood at seven million tons, he noted.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Bureau of Logistics’ (Bulog’s) stocks reached over one million ton, so it is still safe to set aside 200 thousand tons for export, he stated.
During the meeting, Hartarto, along with other officials, also discussed aspects related to regulation, permit, and readiness to execute the rice export process that will be conducted immediately.
In addition, discussions were held on the Bulog rice aid in 2022 for 19.14 million Benefit Recipient Families (KPM) and revision of Presidential Regulation No. 48 of 2016 on bolstering Bulog’s assignment.
Several conditions to be stipulated include the utilization of Government Reserve Rice (CBP), the release of CBP stock, and fund utilization for stock release.
Source: Antara News