Bulog Rice Clears Export Standards for Saudi Arabia

Badan Pangan Nasional (National Food Agency) says Bulog rice meets export safety and quality standards through the issue of a health certificate (HC). The HC document is issued as a guarantee of the safety of fresh plant-origin food that is the Indonesian export commodity this time. The certificate was issued by the National Food Agency and the Regional Competent Authority for Food Safety (OKKPD) of Banten. In addition to Banten, the agency will engage OKKPDs in East Java and West Java to facilitate the issuance of HC documents for future rice exports. The HC is a hygiene-sanitisation certificate in the form of the Good Handling Practices certificate for Fresh Plant-origin Food (SPPB-PSAT). Accordingly, Bulog rice has met the maximum limits for heavy metal and mycotoxin contamination, pesticide residue limits, as well as quality and labelling requirements. The HC document can be used by importers in Saudi Arabia to register through the Food Import Registration System, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) or FIRS SFDA. Indonesia will export 2,280 tonnes of premium rice in stages to Saudi Arabia to meet the consumption needs of Haj pilgrims in 2026. The rice to be shipped comes from the procurement of fresh paddy from domestic farmers, processed through a modern rice milling unit (RMU) with a maximum breakage rate of 5 percent. Thousands of tonnes of Bulog rice are to meet the needs of pilgrims and staff this year, estimated at 205,420 people. The 2,280 tonnes derive from an assumed consumption of 170 grams of rice per person per day. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah plans that pilgrims will receive rice portions weighing 170 grams per meal, accompanied by 80 grams of meat and 75 grams of vegetables and water. The quantity required is calculated based on pilgrims’ meal frequency reaching 78 times in Mecca, 27 times in Medina, and six times in the Armuzna area (Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina).