Rice Stocks at 5.3 Million Tonnes, Bapanas Chief Insists: No Scarcity, Do Not Manipulate Prices

The Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), who also serves as Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, has asserted that the national rice stock is currently in a very safe and abundant condition. He stated that there is therefore no reason for rice scarcity to occur amongst the public.

The statement was made following reports regarding limited rice supplies at several distribution points. Amran confirmed that the government continues to monitor market conditions and has requested the Indonesian National Police Food Task Force to go directly into the field to oversee distribution and price stability.

“Our rice is abundant. Do not manipulate the situation on the ground because we have asked the Task Force to go into the field. Nothing is scarce. Please ensure no food, especially rice, our staple food, is scarce,” Amran said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday.

The government has recorded that the government rice reserves managed by Perum Bulog had reached 5.3 million tonnes as of early June 2026. This figure is cited as being the highest in Indonesia’s history. According to Amran, this condition indicates that national food security is currently in a very strong position. In fact, the warehouse capacity owned by Bulog is no longer able to accommodate the entire stock, forcing the government to rent additional storage space.

“Together with the Food Task Force, we are monitoring all of Indonesia. Do not create scarcity. There is none. All our warehouses are full of rice right now. The current stock is 5.3 million tonnes. Our warehouse capacity is 3 million tonnes. We have rented 2.3 million tonnes, and this is the highest figure since Indonesia’s independence,” he stated.

With such stock availability, the government has ensured that public consumption needs can be met without hindrance and that there is no threat of supply shortages in the near future. Amran also touched upon the Rice Outlook report for May 2026 published by the United States Department of Agriculture. In the report, global rice production for the 2025-2026 period increased from 541.3 million tonnes to 542.8 million tonnes.

Indonesia became one of the countries recording the largest increase in rice production, alongside Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Vietnam.