Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said on February 16 that the agency has asked the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to maintain prices for farmers while purchasing their agricultural products.

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A rice stall in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Arief emphasised that the government has imported a certain amount of food to ensure farmers’ interest, elaborating that this is an effort to ensure an adequate and stable food supply throughout the country.

According to the official, some 3.5 million tons of rice can be produced during the harvest season, estimated in March and April, adding that the rice supply in Bulog is currently at 1.4 million tons.

As of February 14, 185,000 tons of rice had been handed over to tens of millions of households in Indonesia, at a ration of 10kg per household. Bapanas aims to distribute an additional 255,000 tons of rice to low-income families by the end of this month. About 22 million families will benefit from this program.

Source: VNA