Surabaya (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s state-owned food logistics agency Bulog is strengthening its strategy to anticipate a possible midyear El Niño-driven drought and ensure food supply stability, President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani said Saturday.
Speaking at Wonokromo Market in Surabaya, Ramdhani explained that Bulog is coordinating closely with the Agriculture Ministry to safeguard national food production.
“The solution, among other things, is for the Agriculture Ministry to add pumping stations and provide additional agricultural machinery, so that production levels will hopefully not decline and could even potentially increase,” he said.
He noted that El Niño’s timing may not be entirely negative, as it coincides with peak rice harvests in several regions.
Bulog has already absorbed more than 35 percent of the government’s rice procurement target of 4 million tons, Ramdhani said, adding that this is part of a broader mitigation strategy to secure reserves against prolonged drought.
Baca juga: Bulog menargetkan penyaluran 828 ribu ton beras SPHP sepanjang 2026
Baca juga: Bulog targets 828,000 tons of SPHP rice distribution in 2026
Current rice stocks have reached 4.4 million tons, the highest level in Indonesia’s history, he claimed.
“This is the highest stock. Last year’s peak was 4.2 million tons, and now it has surpassed that,” he said.
Ramdhani expressed optimism that stocks could reach around 5 million tons by late April or early May, in line with ongoing harvests across the country.