Bapanas Allocates Nearly Rp100 Billion in Rice Aid for NTT Earthquake Victims

The National Food Agency (Bapanas) has disclosed details of food assistance for communities affected by the earthquake in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The total first-phase assistance prepared amounts to 6,801.99 tonnes of rice, valued at approximately Rp95.22 billion.

Bapanas Principal Secretary Sarwo Edhy stated that the assistance comes from funds already prepared by Bapanas, including budgets for natural disaster response and food aid. “The disaster budget, the food assistance budget, the natural disaster budget, the SPHP budget, and the cheap food movement budget have all been allocated at the National Food Agency. So when a disaster occurs, we simply distribute through Bulog,” Sarwo said when met at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (19/8/2026).

Previously, Minister of Agriculture and Head of Bapanas Amran Sulaiman said that food assistance for earthquake victims in NTT sent by the government had reached around Rp100 billion, in the form of rice.

Sarwo then explained that the assistance valued at around Rp100 billion was not entirely disaster-specific aid. Of the total 6,801.99 tonnes, 990.33 tonnes constituted assistance for communities affected by the natural disaster.

The five regencies affected and requesting disaster assistance are Manggarai, East Manggarai, Ngada, Sikka, and Nagekeo. “For the NTT disaster, the affected areas are only five regencies: Manggarai, East Manggarai, Ngada, Sikka, and Nagekeo,” he said.

For Manggarai Regency, the proposed disaster assistance reached 81.63 tonnes. East Manggarai proposed 153.78 tonnes, Ngada 86.88 tonnes, Sikka 6.88 tonnes, and Nagekeo 661.18 tonnes. “So the total is 990.33 tonnes,” he explained.

In addition to disaster-specific assistance, Bapanas is also distributing regular food assistance to communities in the five regencies. For Manggarai Regency, regular assistance reached 1,799.70 tonnes. East Manggarai received 1,661.25 tonnes, Ngada 444.21 tonnes, Nagekeo 525.14 tonnes, and Sikka 1,281.36 tonnes.

“So that is the regular food assistance amount. Before this natural disaster occurred, we already had a three-month rice assistance programme. Ten kilograms multiplied by three months. This amounts to 5,811.66 tonnes,” he explained.

Thus, when disaster assistance and regular assistance are combined, the total allocated rice reaches 6,801.99 tonnes.

Sarwo said the value of the assistance was calculated using the medium-grade rice ceiling retail price (HET) in the eastern region of Rp14,000 per kg. When multiplied by the total assistance of 6,801.99 tonnes, the value of the rice reaches approximately Rp95.22 billion.

“So with the current figures, that is the first phase proposal. Now there is a second phase, and as of today it may exceed Rp100 billion,” Sarwo said.

Sarwo emphasised that the Bapanas assistance referred to in this allocation currently consists only of rice. There is no cooking oil or other food commodity assistance yet. “There is no cooking oil yet. Yes, only rice,” he said.

Distribution of the assistance has also begun. Bapanas, he said, has assigned its staff to oversee the distribution of aid until it reaches the recipients. “It has started to be distributed. It has arrived at the points, because we assigned one deputy and several directors to go there to oversee it, including from the food task force to escort the assistance to its destination,” Sarwo concluded.