Bulog Chief Says Rp 1.1 Trillion Needed for Additional SPHP Rice
Perum Bulog estimates it will require a budget of around Rp 1.1 trillion to carry out an additional 1 million tonnes of rice under the Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP) programme.
President Director of Perum Bulog, Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, said the budget requirement was calculated based on a cost of around Rp 11,000 per kilogram for the additional SPHP rice approved by the government.
“In total, if Rp 11,000 (per kg) is multiplied by 1 million tonnes, that comes to Rp 1.1 trillion. That is for the SPHP,” Rizal said when met at Bulog’s office in Jakarta on Monday (7/9/2026).
The additional budget relates to the government’s decision to approve an increase in the SPHP rice volume from Bulog’s initial proposal of 400,000 tonnes to 1 million tonnes. The extra supply is being prepared to anticipate potential production disruptions caused by El Nino, which is expected to continue through to the harvest period in March 2027.
Rizal said the additional SPHP rice would later be distributed under the same scheme as the previous SPHP programme. However, distribution will take into account regions potentially vulnerable to the effects of El Nino.
“Just like a normal SPHP as usual. Distribution will follow the potential vulnerabilities we face in relation to the current El Nino issue. Earlier we were reminded that for this upcoming SPHP, we must also look at the areas vulnerable to El Nino’s impact,” he said.
Rizal noted that El Nino could put pressure on agricultural production, including raising the risk of harvest failure. For this reason, the SPHP will serve as one of the government’s instruments to safeguard supply while providing rice at affordable prices to the public.
“Since the impact of El Nino may somewhat affect harvest failures and so on, that is where the SPHP must step in so as to provide a stimulus to the public, offering cheap prices to the people with an emphasis on the quality of the rice,” he explained.
He stressed that the implementation of the SPHP is not merely about pursuing distribution quantities. Rice quality is also a concern, as the government wants to ensure that the rice reaching the public remains fit for consumption.
“We must not allow the rice to be of poor quality so that the public ends up disappointed. This is what Commission IV of the House of Representatives reminded us about earlier,” he said.
Nevertheless, Rizal said the funding issue for the programme would be discussed between the Ministry of Finance and the National Food Agency (Bapanas). Bulog, he said, serves only as the implementing agency of the programme.
“As for the budget, the budget will be discussed directly by the Ministry of Finance with Bapanas in this case,” Rizal concluded.