Deputy DPD Chairman Praises Government as Rice Reserves Surpass 5 Million Tons

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) of the Republic of Indonesia, Tamsil Linrung, has praised the government for successfully increasing the national rice reserve to surpass 5 million tons.

He assessed this achievement as concrete evidence that the direction of national food policy is on the right track in strengthening Indonesia’s food security and sovereignty, particularly from the perspective of regions as production bases.

“The rice reserve that is almost reaching 5 million tons must be read as a collective success, especially the hard work of farmers in the regions. This is an important foundation towards sustainable food self-sufficiency,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

Nevertheless, he emphasised that national production success must be accompanied by comprehensive strengthening of the agricultural ecosystem in the regions.

“When fertiliser is available, irrigation is improved, and policies favour regional farmers, then production increases. However, our task is not finished; this production result must be distributed fairly to all regions, without creating new disparities,” he stated.

Furthermore, the politician also appreciated the food self-sufficiency programme under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.

According to him, the self-sufficiency programme is beginning to show real impacts accompanied by improvements in farmers’ welfare.

“This is a strong indicator that food policy not only focuses on production output, but also maintains the economic value received by farmers. This means the welfare of farmers in the regions is also boosted,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Head of the National Food Agency, Andi Amran Sulaiman, stated that the government rice reserve stock (CBP) managed by Perum Bulog has reached 5,000,198 tons as of 23 April 2026 at 08:55 WIB.

He described this achievement as the first in Indonesia’s history and marking the highest national rice reserve for the April period that has never occurred before.

He also revealed that the government is continuously adding storage capacity through warehouse rentals to accommodate the increase in production and national rice reserves.