Quality of rice aid for poor questioned<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City councilors questioned on Friday the low
\nquality of rice distributed to low-income residents by the
\nJakarta Logistics Agency (Dolog) in the past few months.<\/p>\n
"We condemn the agency because it has distributed rice that
\ncould pose a threat to residents' health," the chairman of
\ncouncil's Commission B for economic and financial affairs, M.
\nSyarif Zulkarnaen, said.<\/p>\n
"The agency must act as the final institution to screen all
\nrice distributed through its warehouses. This is also valid even
\nif the distributed rice did not belong to Dolog."<\/p>\n
Syarif, a councilor of the United Development Party (PPP)
\nfaction, was speaking at a meeting of the commission with the
\nagency executives discussing the allegation that the agency had
\ndistributed bad quality rice, as reported by non-governmental
\norganization (NGO) Pangan for the Poor (Param) on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The agency was alleged to have provided and distributed a poor
\nquality of rice to the city's low-income residents, while selling
\na better quality to a third party.<\/p>\n
Another councilor, Batu Tahan Marpaung of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction, asked the
\nagency to improve its quality control mechanism to avoid a
\nreoccurrence of a similar case in the future.<\/p>\n
"The agency must not acquire any low quality rice for its
\nwarehouses. It must also maintain the quality of all rice stored
\nin its warehouses," Marpaung said.<\/p>\n
The agency's deputy chairman, Saean Achmady, told the
\ncouncilors that the agency was only responsible in storing and
\ndistributing the rice, but not acquiring it.<\/p>\n
"The rice, sold at a cheap price, was provided by the UN World
\nFood Program (WFP). It cooperated with several NGOs to distribute
\nthe rice to low-income residents," he said.<\/p>\n
"WFP selected the NGOs and also the eligible recipients of the
\ncheap rice.<\/p>\n
"We've got nothing to do with the whole selection process."<\/p>\n
Data from Dolog shows that the WFP gave 28,566 tons of long
\ngreen rice from the United States. Three thousand tons were
\ndistributed to Cianjur, West Java, and another 3,500 tons to
\nSemarang, Central Java.<\/p>\n
"There are still 17,000 tons in storage at the agency's
\nwarehouses," said Achmady.<\/p>\n
The rice is sold at Rp 1,000 (13 US cents) per kilogram, which
\nis about half the market price.<\/p>\n
Achmady said the agency had arranged a better quality from
\nChina as a replacement for the low quality rice.<\/p>\n
"But Param insisted on distributing the rice from the United
\nStates," he said. "The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) had
\nimported the rice and we just distributed it."<\/p>\n
He also said that the agency offered the rice to several
\ncattle food traders in an open bid. "We sold it for Rp 1,900 per
\nkilogram."<\/p>\n
Separately, Governor Sutiyoso told reporters at City Hall that
\nhe would take necessary action if some agency executives had
\ntampered with the rice distribution.<\/p>\n
"The agency should have known better on the matter. However,
\nI'm quite sure that it was only a mistake," he said.<\/p>\n
WFP program advisor Bishow Parajulie denied the allegation
\nthat the organization provided low quality rice for the low-
\nincome residents.<\/p>\n
"We provided a medium quality, which is above the quality of
\naverage rice available in local markets," he told The Jakarta
\nPost over the phone on Friday.<\/p>\n
He said there was a possibility that one or two sacks might
\nhave been damaged during transportation or when it was loaded
\ninto the warehouses.<\/p>\n
He said the WFP works closely with 15 NGOs and the logistics
\nagency to provide cheap rice for nearly three million residents
\nin the Greater Jakarta area. (05)<\/p>",
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