Bulog Banyumas Optimises Paddy Absorption During Peak Harvest Season
Following Eid al-Fitr, paddy has started arriving again at around 300 to 500 tonnes per day. Even during the holidays, procurement continued, albeit not at full capacity.
Purwokerto (ANTARA) - Perum Bulog’s Banyumas Branch Office is optimising the absorption of paddy from farmers during the peak harvest period to maintain the availability of government rice reserves in the Banyumas Raya region, which covers Banyumas Regency, Cilacap, Purbalingga, and Banjarnegara in Central Java.
“Post-Eid, paddy has started coming in again at around 300 to 500 tonnes per day. Even during the holidays, procurement kept running, though not fully,” said the Head of Perum Bulog’s Banyumas Branch Office, Prawoko Setyo Aji, in Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, on Wednesday.
He stated that under normal conditions, Bulog Banyumas’s daily paddy absorption can reach 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes.
However, during the joint leave period, he said, the procurement realisation was in the range of 200 to 300 tonnes per day, and it has now increased again as farmers’ activities return to normal.
According to him, the optimisation of absorption is carried out by maximising the role of procurement partners and internal teams through the “jemput pangan” programme, which goes directly to production centres.
Therefore, he said, this scheme also accelerates the payment process to farmers.
“Internally, there is a”jemput pangan” team that goes directly, and payments are made via transfer to farmers to make it faster and more transparent. If through partners, the mechanism adjusts to each one,” he said.
He acknowledged that weather factors still affect the harvest rhythm in several areas.
According to him, rain and strong winds often cause farmers to delay harvesting by one day for safety reasons, especially to avoid lightning strike risks.
“If it rains, farmers usually don’t dare to harvest and wait a day. But overall, it still gets absorbed,” he said.
According to him, the Banyumas Raya region is entering a broader harvest period, with the peak harvest expected in mid-April.
He said that in Cilacap Regency, the peak harvest is currently underway, and soon Banyumas Regency will follow with harvesting starting in April.
Meanwhile, Purbalingga and Banjarnegara Regencies have generally entered the harvest season since March, with intensity expected to increase by the end of April.
“Overall, the peak is in mid-April. Some areas might shift to late April or May,” he said.
He stated that along with the increase in absorption, Bulog Banyumas’s warehouse rice stocks continue to grow.
According to him, preliminary data shows availability of stocks has reached more than 60,000 tonnes and is estimated to keep increasing during the April to July harvest period.
From the procurement side, he said, the total realisation recorded is 14,622 tonnes of rice equivalent, consisting of 27,116 tonnes of paddy and 847 tonnes of rice.
Furthermore, he said that the availability of these stocks is also prepared to support the distribution of government food aid if the programme is extended.
According to him, the current food aid allocation is only running for February-March, and Bulog Banyumas is still awaiting the central government’s decision regarding the programme’s continuation.
On the other hand, he said, the distribution of food aid for the February-March allocation in the Banyumas Raya region has not yet reached 100 percent because it is still waiting for the readiness of cooking oil from producers.
“If there is an extension to April, of course the stocks are ready. While ongoing, there is also regular distribution,” said Prawoko.