Indonesia targets 2 mln tons of rice reserves by December amid production concerns

JAKARTA, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) — Indonesia aims to have rice reserves of 2 million tons by the end of December to prepare for a potential decline in domestic production expected towards the end of this year and early 2025, according to Arief Prasetyo Adi, head of the National Food Agency.
This target is also set to address the anticipated increase in rice demand due to the simultaneous regional elections scheduled for November.
“The critical months are expected to be November, December, and January, so we need to secure sufficient reserves. Currently, our rice reserves have reached 1.39 million tons,” Arief stated during a hearing with the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Bayu Krisnamurthi, president director of Perum Bulog, Indonesia’s national food and logistic company, recently announced that Indonesia plans to import up to 3.6 million tons of rice by the end of this year.
So far, 2.4 million tons have already been imported, with the remaining 1.2 million tons expected to arrive before December. ■