Government Disburses Rp18 Trillion, 33 Million Citizens to Receive Free Rice Again Until September

The government is again disbursing a substantial budget of Rp18.04 trillion in the second semester to maintain public purchasing power and curb food price volatility. Under the direction of President Prabowo Subianto, the rice food assistance programme for tens of millions of citizens has been officially extended for three months, with a total budget allocation of Rp17.54 trillion. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that the rice aid will be distributed from July to September 2026 to 15.6 million beneficiary families across Indonesia. “At the direction of President Prabowo, this programme is continued for three months, namely July, August and September, for 33.24 million recipients with a budget requirement of Rp17.54 trillion,” Airlangga said during a press conference in Jakarta. The policy forms part of the government’s second-semester 2026 economic stimulus package, prepared to sustain household consumption amidst global economic uncertainty and fluctuations in the prices of several food commodities. Beyond relying on rice assistance, the government has also prepared specific measures to curb price increases for tofu and tempeh, which are heavily dependent on imported soybean supplies. Through the food supply and price stabilisation programme, the government will provide a soybean subsidy of Rp2,000 per kilogramme to tofu and tempeh artisans. This programme is prepared for a quota of 250,000 tonnes of soybeans. “We know that our annual soybean requirement is 2.5 million tonnes, but we are preparing 250,000 tonnes with a subsidy of Rp2,000 per kg, which will be provided if the soybean price exceeds the reference purchase price,” he explained. The measure is expected to ease production cost pressures for small business operators while keeping processed soybean product prices affordable for the public. Airlangga confirmed that the rice aid and soybean subsidy programmes have undergone cross-ministerial discussions and received direct approval from President Prabowo.