National Food Body Sends Thousands of Tons of Rice to East Nusa Tenggara
To counter the rising prices of rice in Atambua, Ende, and Maumere, the National Food Body has poured in thousands of tons of rice into the region. Deputy Head of Diversity of Consumption and Food Security of Bapenas, Andriko Noto Susanto, confirmed that they have sent 1,400 tons of rice to NTT within the past week.
Andriko said that the first batch of 600 tons of rice was sent on March 25 and the second batch of 800 tons was sent on March 29, using the sea toll ship of PT Pelayaran Indonesia (Pelni) from the Tanjung Perak Surabaya Port.
The rice distribution initiative in the three regions in NTT was done through cooperation with the state-owned logistics agency, Perum Bulog, the Ministry of Transportation, and PT Pelni which provided the sea toll ship facilities.
Although the availability of rice in Indonesia is considered safe, the distribution of food needs to be effectively and efficiently carried out throughout the country. Andre Mulpyana, Expert Staff to the Minister of Transportation, stated that distribution is the primary role in maintaining price stability.
The rice distribution program is in line with President Joko Widodo’s instruction to ensure price stability for basic necessities, especially rice, during Ramadan until post-Eid in all regions of Indonesia.
Indonesians consume around 2.5 million tons of rice monthly, and the stock is ensured to be sufficient. Additionally, the National Food Body has reserves of 2.4 million tons of rice.