South Sumatra Police Distribute 135 Tonnes of Rice to 20,000 Residents Through Cheap Food Movement
The South Sumatra Regional Police (Polda Sumsel) launched the National Police’s Cheap Food Movement simultaneously across 47 distribution points throughout all regencies and municipalities in South Sumatra ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 H. Polda Sumsel, together with Perum Bulog and the regional government, distributed 135 tonnes of rice to 20,325 residents.
Regional Police Commander (Kapolda) of South Sumatra Inspector General Sandi Nugroho led the centralised coordination of the Cheap Food Movement held at the Bulog Sukamaju Warehouse compound, Sako District, Palembang City, on Friday, 13 March 2026. The event was attended by South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru, members of the Regional Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), representatives from Kodam II/Sriwijaya, the South Sumatra High Prosecutor’s Office, and leadership of Perum Bulog’s South Sumatra–Bangka-Belitung region.
Kapolda Sumsel emphasised that food security is a strategic national issue that has a direct relationship with public stability and security. He noted that the affordability of staple goods ahead of the Eid al-Fitr celebration is an important factor in maintaining a conducive public security environment.
“Food security concerns not only the availability of staple goods but also the social stability of the community. Therefore, the National Police is present to ensure that people can obtain food needs at affordable prices,” said Sandi Nugroho in his statement.
The Cheap Food Movement programme is part of the National Police’s support for the government’s priority programme in maintaining the stability of food supply and prices nationally. Sandi explained that in 2026, Polda Sumsel distributed rice through 47 distribution points spread across all regencies and municipalities.
At the centralised location of Bulog Sukamaju Warehouse in Palembang, Perum Bulog provided approximately 10 tonnes of rice packaged into tens of thousands of portions for the public. Each rice purchase was also accompanied by bonus household essentials such as cooking oil, sugar, or soy sauce as an additional form of support for residents.
Meanwhile, Perum Bulog Area Leader for South Sumatra–Bangka-Belitung Mersi Windrayani stated that Bulog Sukamaju Warehouse has a storage capacity of approximately 21,000 tonnes of rice. Currently, available rice stock reaches approximately 16,000 tonnes, plus cooking oil of 259,560 litres.
Bulog is also implementing an assignment from the National Food Agency (BPN) to distribute food assistance to 968,499 beneficiaries in South Sumatra with a total allocation of approximately 19,369 tonnes of rice for the February to March 2026 period.
South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru appreciated the National Police’s initiative, which was assessed as playing an important role in helping the regional government maintain staple goods price stability ahead of Eid. He believed that the simultaneous implementation of the Cheap Food Movement was capable of suppressing potential price spikes whilst preventing panic buying among the public.
“This activity is very helpful to the community. The synergy between the National Police, regional government, and Bulog is very important in maintaining food price stability ahead of Eid,” said Herman Deru.
Furthermore, the Communications Division Head (Kabid Humas) of Polda Sumsel Senior Commissioner Nandang Mu’min Wijaya added that the Cheap Food Movement conducted simultaneously represented a tangible implementation of the National Police’s Precision programme in providing services to the community. This was hoped to strengthen public trust in the National Police institution.
“The National Police is present not only in law enforcement but also in helping the community face various basic needs, including food,” said Nandang.