Bapanas: Government Strengthens SPHP Supply to Serve Markets and Retail
The strengthening is being carried out by adding an allocation of one million tonnes of medium-grade rice under the SPHP programme to increase the supply that can be channelled to markets.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) has stated that the government is strengthening rice supplies through the Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP) programme in order to meet the needs of people’s markets and modern retail, as well as to maintain national price stability.
“The government is strengthening rice supplies through the SPHP programme. This is being done by adding an allocation of one million tonnes of medium-grade SPHP rice to increase the supply that can be channelled to markets,” said Bapanas Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilisation, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The government has already added the one-million-tonne SPHP rice allocation to maintain price stability for the commodity during the dry season caused by the El Nino phenomenon. The decision was made at a coordination meeting held by Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan and a number of relevant ministries and agencies at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Food in Jakarta on Monday (7/9).
According to Ketut, the addition to the SPHP rice quota is highly appropriate, as there is still a remaining distribution quota that needs to be utilised promptly to meet the public’s needs.
He urged that the remaining allocation of around 80,000 tonnes of medium-grade SPHP rice be prioritised for distribution through people’s markets and modern retail.
The move is intended to make SPHP rice more easily accessible to the public whilst also serving as an affordable alternative rice option amid continually rising food needs.
Furthermore, he said the government is ensuring that various stabilisation instruments are implemented simultaneously, ranging from SPHP rice distribution and market operations to the cheap food movement (GPM), as well as rice price and quality oversight.
“In this way, price control is carried out not only through food assistance to the public, but also through strengthening supply and expanding rice distribution points that are accessible to consumers,” said Ketut.
Ketut noted that price interventions are being intensified in the regions through the GPM, particularly in areas experiencing high price pressure according to the Price Development Index (IPH).
The government is encouraging regions not to hesitate to hold GPM events in locations that are easily accessible to the public. These do not have to be held in rented premises, but can make use of government facilities such as district offices, village offices, or other strategic locations.
“The cheap food movement can be held anywhere, it doesn’t require rented space; it can be at the district office, village office, or other strategic government offices so that people can buy easily,” said Ketut.
Bapanas recorded that between January and 4 September 2026, the GPM had been carried out 8,206 times. The activities were spread across 38 provinces and 450 regencies and cities, ensuring that food interventions reach communities in various regions.
Not only that, Ketut said, supply strengthening and the acceleration of food assistance are running alongside rice price and quality oversight. The government has reactivated the Rice Price and Quality Supervision Task Force involving Bapanas, the National Police Food Task Force, and state logistics firm Perum Bulog.
This collaboration is being reinforced with regional governments and food task forces in each region to ensure price developments are monitored and responses to price volatility can be carried out swiftly.
“Regarding the strengthening, the Head of Bapanas, who is also the Agriculture Minister (Andi Amran Sulaiman), has re-established the Rice Price and Quality Supervision Task Force to control rice prices, so enforcement of oversight will be tightened,” said Ketut.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded month-on-month inflation in August against July 2026, released on 1 September 2026, at 0.21 percent, whilst annual inflation stood at 3.19 percent.
Rice recorded monthly inflation of 0.42 percent, contributing 0.02 percent to national inflation.
The 3.19 percent inflation figure remains within the tolerance range, as the government has set an inflation target range of 1.5 to 3.5 percent. Meanwhile, rice inflation is still in line with the target range, meaning food price volatility is still considered under control.