Bulog prepares concept of in-kind rice assistance for civil servants and the TNI-Polri

We have also prepared what the concept looks like and so on, but it is being communicated with the government. Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Director of Perum Bulog Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani stated that the plan for distributing rice assistance in the form of in-kind aid for civil servants (ASN) and personnel of the TNI and Polri has been prepared as part of strengthening national food security. Interviewed in Jakarta on Friday, Rizal said that the draft of the programme had been submitted at a hearing with Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives on Thursday (19 May) and is now still in the stage of communication with the government. “So we yesterday already conveyed at the RDP (Rapat Dengar Pendapat) with Commission IV about the plan. We have also prepared what the concept looks like and so on, but it is being communicated with the government,” Rizal said. According to Rizal, Bulog has prepared various aspects of the programme’s implementation, ranging from the distribution mechanism, targets to the disbursement scheme, so that it can be implemented after obtaining central government approval. Bulog recommends that the in-kind rice assistance for ASN and the TNI-Polri be focused on the rice commodity without including cooking oil as in the previous aid scheme that covered more than one component. Each recipient would be proposed to receive 10 kilograms of rice per month. However, the scope of recipients for the in-kind rice assistance is still under discussion, so there is no decision yet on whether the programme will be implemented nationwide or rolled out in stages. He said Bulog has prepared various scenarios for the programme’s implementation in step with the government stock of rice, which is currently at a high level and deemed adequate to support the new policy. Rizal said that distributing rice to ASN, TNI soldiers, and Polri members would provide direct benefits to recipients while also strengthening the utilisation of the national rice stock available in large quantities. He even recalled his childhood when the in-kind system was still in place, when his family felt helped as his parents brought home rice from the programme. Regarding concerns about reducing stock for market stabilisation if the in-kind programme is implemented, Rizal assured that the government rice reserves remain safe because they are backed by a significant increase in national agricultural production. He said the current abundant rice supply gives the government more room to carry out various intervention programmes without disrupting supply or price stability in the market. He added that the in-kind programme could actually ease market control because the rice needs of ASN, the TNI, and Polri can be met directly through the government distribution mechanism. Thus, price stabilisation efforts and rice distribution in the general market can be more focused on non-ASN communities and other groups in need of government food supply support.