Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Agriculture has made assurance of rice stock availability and stable prices during the extension of the level 4 Community Activities Restriction (PPKM) in the Java-Bali provinces.
President Director of PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya Pamrihadi Winaryo stated as of July 22 that 38,439 tons of rice stocks were currently available at the Cipinang Rice Central Market (PIBC), East Jakarta. The existing stocks already surpass the average stock availability of 32,000-34,000 tons, Winaryo added here on Friday.
Winaryo also noted that the price of rice remained stable, with the Cianjur Slyp premium variety costing Rp12,250 (around US$0.8) per kilogram, while the IR 64 III medium rice variety was available at Rp8,275 (around US$0.5) per kilogram.
"The price of rice is relatively stable and even decreased by one percent as compared to the average of the previous month (June 2021)," Winaryo pointed out.
Fluctuations in the rice stocks and sale at PIBC often indicated the national rice stock situation and its price sale, with Jakarta's rice price, primarily at the PIBC, also influencing the price of the commodity in other Indonesian regions.
Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo stated that the current nationwide availability of rice remains under control and is guaranteed, as the annual second harvest period is currently underway across the country.
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"The arrival of the second harvest period means our rice stocks will increase. I expect a rice overstock to occur in several regions (after the harvest period)," Minister Limpo remarked.
The second harvest period is underway in major rice-producing provinces of West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Sumatra, and Sulawesi. The agriculture ministry and regional government have been striving to boost rice productivity.
"Our efforts (to increase the quality and produce of rice) are through the utilisation of advanced equipment, mechanisation, improvement in the quality of human resources, and utilisation of superior variety of rice seeds," Limpo noted.
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