Bulog CEO confirms readiness to implement additional food aid in July

The CEO of Perum Bulog, Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, has confirmed the company’s readiness to carry out the additional assignment for the food aid programme over three months starting July 2026 to support national food security. “Bulog is ready to implement the government’s additional assignment in the food aid programme for three months, which will commence in July 2026,” Rizal said when confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday. Rizal stressed that his party is prepared to execute the assignment with the support of government rice reserves (CBP), which currently stand at 5.3 million tonnes as of early June 2026. Furthermore, the programme is backed by warehousing infrastructure spread across Indonesia and a distribution network that has been proven in the implementation of various government programmes. “We are optimistic this programme can run smoothly, be well-targeted, and provide tangible benefits to the community,” said Rizal. According to him, the distribution of food aid is one of the government’s strategic instruments for maintaining food security, strengthening public purchasing power, and helping to stabilise rice prices at the consumer level. The additional food aid, in the form of rice, was discussed during the Limited Coordination Meeting on Food Commodity Price Developments held at the Coordinating Ministry for Food on Tuesday. In addition to the food aid programme, the meeting also discussed a plan to provide soybean subsidies at Rp2,000 per kilogramme, with an initial allocation of 250,000 tonnes, the implementation of which will be assigned to Bulog to maintain soybean price affordability for the public and businesses. Rizal added that Bulog will continue to strengthen coordination with ministries, agencies, regional governments, and all stakeholders to ensure all government assignments in the food sector can be carried out effectively and have a positive impact on society. Previously, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan outlined several strategic steps to maintain national food price stability and availability. There are several main focus areas that are now assignments for Bulog. “The government has tasked Bulog with continuing the food aid programme for three months to 33.2 million families, starting in July 2026,” Zulhas said in Jakarta on Tuesday. The programme is expected to maintain public purchasing power while also helping to stabilise food prices, particularly during the planting season and the lean period which could potentially affect food supply.