Bulog to supply 4.3m tons of rice in 1998\/1999<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) said
\nyesterday it would supply 4.3 million tons of rice to the market
\nin the 1998\/1999 fiscal year to ensure price stability.<\/p>\n
Agency chairman Beddu Amang refused to disclose how much of
\nthe amount would be imported.<\/p>\n
But Antara reported yesterday about 1 million tons of rice
\nwould come from local growers, while the remaining 3.3 million
\ntons would be imported.<\/p>\n
Beddu said the agency would directly sell 1.8 million tons of
\nthe rice to the military, while the remaining 2.5 million tons
\nwould be used for market operations to stabilize prices.<\/p>\n
\"We will need US$1.05 billion in loans from the central bank
\nto finance the imports,\" he told a hearing with members of the
\nHouse of Representatives Commission III for agriculture,
\nforestry, transmigration and food affairs.<\/p>\n
Beddu directed the agency's licensed distributors yesterday to
\nsell sugar and wheat flour at below market prices.<\/p>\n
He said the distributors would sell sugar at Rp 1,400 (14 U.S.
\ncents) per kilogram at their warehouses, Rp 1,450 per kilogram in
\nthe market and Rp 1,700 per kilogram to retailers.<\/p>\n
They would sell sacks of wheat flour at Rp 21,500 at their
\nwarehouses and Rp 21,525 in the market. The retail price of wheat
\nflour is Rp 1,000 per kilogram, he said.<\/p>\n
Bulog will inspect the distributors' warehouses to ensure they
\ndo not withhold their commodities from the market, said Beddu.<\/p>\n
He said the local logistics agencies would keep customers
\ninformed of the latest official prices to prevent people from
\nhaving to buy the products at higher prices.<\/p>\n
Distributors found selling sugar and wheat flour at higher
\nprices will be charged of hoarding and of practicing speculative
\nactivities, he said.<\/p>\n
\"They could lose their license to distribute if they withhold
\ntheir products to sell them at higher prices,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Beddu acknowledged that many of Bulog's distributors were
\nwithholding their products following the government's decision in
\nJanuary to scrap the agency's monopoly privileges beginning this
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
The government agreed last month to scrap Bulog's monopolies
\non the import and distribution of several important commodities
\nexcept rice as part of reform measures attached to the $43
\nbillion bailout package arranged by the International Monetary
\nFund (IMF).<\/p>\n
The agency has said it would continue to sell sugar and wheat
\nflour at lower prices until all of its stocks were exhausted.<\/p>\n
Beddu said the agency would need Rp 13.5 trillion to import
\n1.1 million tons of sugar at $360 per ton this fiscal year,
\n700,000 tons of soybeans at $284 per ton, 4.25 million tons of
\nwheat at $200 per ton and 3.3 million tons of rice at $220 per
\nton.<\/p>\n
Beddu said Bulog's stock of rice as of Feb. 10 totaled 1.15
\nmillion tons.<\/p>\n
This month, he estimated the agency would import 547,523 tons
\nof rice, while imports in March could total 768,384 tons.<\/p>\n
About 180,225 tons of rice are currently being unloaded at
\nseaports across the country, he said.<\/p>\n
As of Feb. 9, the agency has supplied 1.71 million tons of
\nrice to the market during its 1997\/1998 fiscal year market
\noperations from April last year.<\/p>\n
\"The volume of rice we supplied for market operations last
\nDecember, about 436,797 tons or about 14,500 tons a day, is the
\nmost ever supplied by Bulog,\" Beddu said.<\/p>\n
In the last three months, Bulog supplied 1.23 million tons of
\nsugar, or 400,000 tons per month. The normal supply of sugar a
\nyear is 3.3 million tons, or 275,000 tons per month, Beddu said.<\/p>\n
During the same period, the agency also supplied 784,434 tons
\nof wheat flour, or about 260,000 tons per month. The agency
\nnormally supplied about 2.8 million tons of wheat flour a year,
\nor 230,000 tons monthly, he said.<\/p>\n
The agency supplied 95,000 tons of soybeans per month in the
\npast three months, while the yearly demand of the commodity was
\nnormally 805,238, or 67,000 tons a month, he said. (das\/gis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bulog-to-supply-43m-tons-of-rice-in-19981999-1447893297",
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