Post-Prabowo Inspection, Academic States National Rice Stock is Valid

Professor at Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) Hermanto Siregar stated that the national rice stock is valid, making the government’s reports trustworthy as they have undergone direct field verification. “Therefore, the data provided by the government, both from the Ministry of Agriculture and Bulog, is accurate,” Hermanto said in a written statement in Jakarta on Tuesday. The statement refers to the surprise inspection (sidak) conducted by President Prabowo Subianto at a Perum Bulog warehouse in Magelang, Central Java, on Saturday (18/4). During the visit, President Prabowo found the warehouse full of rice with a capacity of 7,000 tons. Additionally, he stated that the sidak confirmed the government’s previously announced food reserve data while refuting doubts about national food self-sufficiency. According to Hermanto, it would be highly risky for the government to manipulate food data because the impact would be directly felt by society. Therefore, he believes the reported rice stock figures reflect the real conditions in the field. He also explained that the 4.8 million ton rice reserve figure did not appear suddenly but is the result of measured calculations. The stock comes from the accumulation of previous reserves, minus distribution, plus harvests that have been ongoing since the beginning of 2026. He also outlined Bulog’s stock management mechanism, whereby during the harvest season, it absorbs paddy or rice from farmers to strengthen reserves. Conversely, when market supply decreases, Bulog conducts market operations by distributing stock to keep prices stable and meet societal needs. With the stock condition reaching 4.8 million tons, Hermanto assesses that Indonesia’s chances of not importing rice in 2026 are quite high. However, he reminded that this still depends on climatic factors. Furthermore, he views President Prabowo’s sidak as an important step to strengthen public trust in national food data, while also addressing doubts regarding food self-sufficiency achievements. “With the sidak, the President directly verified field conditions. This is important to refute public doubts about rice availability and food self-sufficiency efforts,” he said.