Jakarta (ANTARA) - State Logistics Agency (BULOG) has 750 thousand tons of government rice reserve spread across its warehouses in Indonesia, and they were ensured to be adequate to anticipate El Niño's impacts.
BULOG is the government institution tasked with securing national staple food stocks,
Moreover, to this day, BULOG has absorbed over 700 tons of domestic farmers' rice and will continue to absorb as long as production still exists and is in accordance with the stipulations, Perum BULOG's Business Director Febby Novita stated here on Thursday.
Food insecurity may still occur and can be affected by the price hike at the consumers' level. Despite this, BULOG has undertaken mitigation efforts by absorbing as much rice as possible to ensure that the national rice stock is within the safe figure.
"BULOG also continues to ensure the food demand, specifically rice, to always be available, especially in vulnerable conditions, such as right now," she noted.
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BULOG continues to optimize all existing instruments as a collective anticipatory step in confronting El Niño and to ensure the availability and affordability of food by involving farmers' group, traditional milling, and other stakeholders, Novita remarked.
BULOG also continues to coordinate with the central and regional governments to maintain stock equity.
The company also provides rice at the local level, both through offline and online means, and through outlets under the guidance of Perum BULOG, such as Our Food House (RPK) spread across Indonesia as well as the existing modern retail network, she noted.
Various efforts that BULOG is currently undertaking, in addition to gathering the government rice reserve stock, can also drive the wheels of the economy, especially maintaining the rice stability and inflation that may occur.
To respond to the danger of El Niño that is causal to supply scarcity, BULOG is also appointed to increase supply from import.
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