Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Amid the difficulty of obtaining rice supplies from abroad due to a number of restrictions and even the closure of rice export taps by world producing countries, Indonesia is currently flooded with offers for imported rice of up to 4 million tons.
This was conveyed by the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi when met at the Indonesia Maju Media Center, Jakarta, Thursday (21/12/2023).
For 2024, Arief said the government has assigned Bulog to import 2 million tons of rice for the government’s rice reserve (CBP).
However, in the midst of the bidding process to rice-producing countries worldwide, Indonesia is offered up to 4 million tons of rice, so Indonesia no longer needs to worry about difficulty in finding imported rice to fulfill the 2 million ton import assignment in 2024.
“(Perum Bulog) is assigned 2 million, 2 million is, God willing, fulfilled. It’s just a matter of entry. Until June is achieved. Now, bidding for 2 million tons is about to open, the one offering is already 4 million tons,” Arief said.
Regarding this, Arief assessed that currently the world community is actually capable of giving its rice to Indonesia, because not all countries experience climate change, there are a number of countries that do not experience it.
“Because climate change is not at all points, there are countries like India. In the northern part, India’s production is good,” he said.
The offer of 4 million tons of rice, Arief said, is in accordance with the government’s purchase price (HPP) set by Bulog. That is, the price is in accordance with Bulog’s set price, and has been locked in at that price, so the price will not be higher.
“(The offered rice price) must be in accordance with Bulog’s HPP, we lock everything. If the price has been locked, then it is the highest price, the ceiling. If it is bought below, it’s better, that’s what Bulog has to do, so that if there is a subsidy, the subsidy will be light because the purchase is already at a cheap price,” said Arief.
Previously, Bulog’s Business Director Febby Novita said that rice supplies to the global market are becoming increasingly tight. Citing data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), she said that world rice stocks at the end of 2023 are predicted to decline. It becomes 171.8 million tons, 2 million tons lower than the previous year.
From communication with a number of countries in Southeast Asia, the opportunity to import rice is becoming increasingly difficult.
“Today, Vietnam is having a hard time finding rice, the price is already very high, so we are limited in foreign purchases because it is not allowed to be too high, so the issues inside the country must be maintained. Vietnam could find it yesterday, today it’s already high, it can’t be found,” said Febby in the Agriculture Journalists Forum Discussion, Tuesday (31/10/2023).
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