Be Prepared for Rising Rice Prices

The government anticipates a spike in rice prices in early October. Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo admitted that currently, rice prices are fluctuating. However, he ensured that the government's rice reserves are still sufficient. "We still have up to 10 million tons in reserves," Syahrul said on Tuesday. Syahrul claimed that the rice stockpiles are growing because the harvest period will soon arrive.

On a separate occasion, Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi said that the soaring price was inevitable following the government's decision to increase fuel prices. He also said the current market demand is still high. However, Arief is optimistic that the rice price can go lower since Perum Bulog-run distribution has increased from 30,000-40,000 tons to 200,000 tons of rice. "So the next time, Bulog will keep supporting the market," he said.