1-9-2023 (JAKARTA) President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has announced the distribution of rice aid to 21.3 million beneficiary families for a period of three months, starting in September. He made the announcement during the 2023 National Inflation Control Coordination Meeting held at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday.
Under the program, each family will receive 10 kilograms of rice per month from September to November. President Jokowi likened it to a market intervention aimed at stabilizing rice prices and ensuring food security. The total quantity of rice provided to beneficiary families will amount to 210,000 tons per month.
Currently, the government’s rice reserve stock, managed by the state-owned logistics company Bulog, stands at 1.6 million tons. This quantity is deemed sufficient to meet the nation’s needs. President Jokowi expressed satisfaction with the stock levels, stating that Bulog typically holds 1.2 million tons of rice. He confirmed that the company still has 1.6 million tons in its warehouses, which will be utilized to help control the price of rice in the market.
President Jokowi highlighted the increase in rice prices, which have risen by approximately 5 to 6 percent above the normal price. To address this issue and control inflation, he stressed the importance of efforts such as the distribution of food aid. He urged stakeholders, including Bulog and regional governments, to utilize their budgets for market interventions if rice prices continue to fluctuate.
The President expressed his hope that these measures would contribute to maintaining the inflation rate and reducing it to 2.5 percent by 2024. He emphasized the significance of preventing a further increase in inflation as it would burden society.
