Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Agriculture Minister and Head of the\nNational Food Agency (Bapanas), Amran Sulaiman, has explained the reason\nwhy rice prices remain high despite abundant stocks. He emphasised that\nrice prices are not being reduced to safeguard the low income of\nfarmers.<\/p>\n
Amran revealed that, based on calculations with the All-Indonesia\nStudent Executive Board (BEM), the average daily income of farmers is\nonly around Rp37,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, I just explained this. The students asked, and I explained\u2026 do\nyou know what the farmers\u2019 daily income is? We calculated it with\nstudents from BEM across Indonesia, and it\u2019s only Rp37,000 per day. For\none farmer. Then a bricklayer can earn Rp75,000 (per day), that\u2019s what\nthe students said,\u201d Amran stated when met after a meeting with the\nAll-Indonesia BEM at his residence in Jakarta on Wednesday\n(6\/5\/2026).<\/p>\n
He also compared rice prices to cigarette prices to illustrate the\npublic\u2019s perception of expense. \u201cThen cigarettes cost Rp40,000 (per\npack). Now, which is more expensive? Cigarettes, right. Why don\u2019t you\nprotest that cigarettes are expensive?\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Amran believes that rice, as a staple food, must have\nits price balanced, not just suppressed to be cheap. \u201cWell, that\u2019s why\nrice, because it\u2019s consumed by many people, we maintain it,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He stressed that lowering rice prices would further pressure farmers\u2019\nalready small incomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, do you want to lower rice prices? I ask, farmers\u2019 income is\nRp37,000, 115 million farmers earn Rp37,000. Do you want farmers earning\nRp37,000 per day to drop another Rp10,000 per day? No, don\u2019t. It\u2019s\nalready written, don\u2019t lower it,\u201d he asserted firmly.<\/p>\n
He assured that the current government policy is to maintain the\nstability of rice prices, not to reduce them. \u201cThat\u2019s right. We\nstabilise the price. But we don\u2019t lower it. We stabilise it,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Previously, the government raised the Government Purchase Price (HPP)\nfor Harvested Dry Grain (GKP) at the farm level to Rp6,500 per kg,\neffective from 15 January 2025. The aim is to improve farmers\u2019 welfare\nand absorb the entire harvest. This HPP increase has also contributed to\nthe rise in consumer rice prices.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rice-prices-remain-high-despite-abundant-stocks-amran-explains-why-1778191029", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }