Reports of Scarcity and Purchase Limits on Premium Rice in Retailers: Is It True?

Premium rice stocks in several modern retail outlets in Central Jakarta have been observed to be increasingly difficult to find. Based on monitoring at three modern retailers—Alfamart, Indomaret, and Hero—the selection of available premium rice appears limited.

At Alfamart, the monitored rice shelves only displayed SPHP rice, priced at Rp74,500 per 5kg package, while premium rice varieties were unavailable. An Alfamart employee told CNBC Indonesia on Thursday (10/09/2026) that premium stocks had been depleted for the past two days, though they could not confirm when new supplies would arrive.

In contrast, Indomaret still maintains several options, though not all are premium varieties. An Indomaret employee noted that ‘Lahap’ brand rice is available at Rp149,000 for a 10kg package, while ‘Sintanur Wangi’ is priced at Rp9 Rand95,900 for 5kg, and ‘Topi Koki Short Grain’ is available for Rp68,500 for a 2.5kg package. The employee clarified that while ‘Lahap’ is a standard premium rice, ‘Topi Koki’ is a short-grain variety enriched with zinc and vitamin D3, and ‘Sintanur Wangi’ is a naturally fragrant pandan-scented rice.

A similar situation was observed at Hero supermarkets, where premium rice availability is very limited. Monitoring showed only ‘Shirohana’ premium rice (5kg) remaining, priced at Rp175,000. A Hero employee stated that other premium stocks had run out, leaving this as the final option on the shelf, noting that only porang rice was available at the checkout.

According to the Hero staff, this shortage only began today, with stocks still available yesterday. The employee estimated that the next supply is expected to arrive next Tuesday.

Regarding purchase restrictions, employees across all three retailers confirmed that there are no limits on how much rice consumers can buy. At Indomaret, purchases remain free and unrestricted. Similarly, at Alfamart, neither premium rice (when in stock) nor SPHP rice is subject to any purchase limits. The staff at Hero also confirmed that no restrictions are in place.

Consequently, the issue observed across these three retailers is not a restriction on purchasing, but rather the limited availability of premium rice varieties, with conditions varying between individual stores.