Bulog reports national unhulled rice procurement reaches 91 percent
Bandarlampung (ANTARA) - Perum Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani has said that national unhusked rice absorption has reached 91 percent of the 4 million tonne target.
“Our national unhusked rice absorption has reached 91 percent of 4 million tonnes, or around 3.6 million tonnes,” said Perum Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani in Central Lampung on Wednesday.
He said the national unhusked rice absorption achievement reflects good cross-sector cooperation.
“This shows that unhusked rice absorption has been extraordinary, because it is only August and there are still four months until the end of the year, yet the percentage has already reached 91 percent. But farmers need not worry; even after reaching 100 percent or 4 million tonnes as instructed by the President and the Minister of Agriculture, Bulog will continue to absorb farmers’ harvests,” he said.
According to him, Bulog will continue to maximise unhusked rice absorption at the farmer level in various regions, despite the dry season.
“The dry season actually makes it easier to dry unhusked rice without needing a dryer. The only obstacle is that special vehicles may be needed for remote areas, such as using motorbikes to move faster,” he said.
He said that in addition to carrying out absorption, the agency is also ready to carry out government assignments, implementing the distribution process from stock preparation in warehouses to receipt by beneficiaries.
“The government is ensuring that food is not only available in sufficient quantities, but is also increasingly close, easily accessible and affordable for the public. We are committed to carrying out every government assignment optimally, as part of efforts to maintain food security and the stability of national food supply and prices,” he added.
Previously, agricultural observer from the Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Eliza Mardian assessed that Perum Bulog’s absorption capacity is one of the main factors in maintaining unhusked rice prices at the farmer level when rice production is in surplus.
Based on the Ministry of Agriculture’s food balance projection, rice production in 2026 is estimated to reach 34.77 million tonnes, while national demand is 31.10 million tonnes, resulting in a surplus of around 3.67 million tonnes.
Eliza explained that a rice production surplus has the potential to depress unhusked rice prices if the additional supply is not absorbed by the market. This condition especially needs to be anticipated during the main harvest, when unhusked rice production increases within a relatively simultaneous period.
However, Eliza assessed that farmers’ unhusked rice prices are currently still relatively maintained because they are supported by Bulog’s fairly aggressive absorption. In addition, production in the second harvest season, according to her, is generally not as large as the main harvest.