Introductory Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia on A Limited Cabinet Meeting through Video Conference on Discussion on Staple Food Anticipation, Tuesday, 28 April 2020 at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java Province

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Distinguished Vice President, Ladies and Gentlemen in attendance.

We must prepare anticipatory measures in order to meet the basic needs of our people. Therefore, first of all, I order a quick count and a quick assessment of the basic needs in each region and each province. Do calculate which provinces are in surplus, which provinces are in deficit, the amount of production. Everything must be well-calculated.

I received a report saying that rice stock deficit occurs in 7 provinces, corn stock deficit occurs in 11 provinces, large chili stock deficit occurs in 23 provinces, cayenne pepper stock deficit occurs in 19 provinces, shallot stock deficit occurs in 1 province, and chicken eggs stock is deficit in 22 provinces. Meanwhile, stocks for cooking oil are estimated to be sufficient for 34 provinces, while sugar stocks are estimated to be deficit in 30 provinces and garlic stocks are estimated to be deficit in 31 provinces.

Second, make sure the staple foods is well-distributed so that regions that experience a deficit of basic needs can be supported from regions that are surplus. Furthermore, transportation of food distribution between provinces, regions, and islands should not be disrupted. I will continue to check this issue since the imposing of Large-scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) in several provinces and regencies / cities have indeed brought disruption in goods distribution, especially the airway distribution. This is due to the difficult calculation for the airlines companies in terms of transportation fee. For this matter, the Government should pay extra attention to this issue, to prevent disruption in goods and staple foods distribution given Indonesia is an archipelagic country.

Third, rice supply management. The management of rice supply in the country is an important key to mitigate food crisis that has been reminded by the FAO in recent months. Therefore, once again, do calculate detailed supply on the availability of rice. Do also calculate the rice stock in the market, in the mill, in the warehouse, and in the National Logistics Agency (Bulog). Hopefully, during the peak harvest season in April, our rice production can increase. I have been reported that the rice production could reach 5.62 million tons. I have also ordered the Bulog to keep buying grain from farmers with a decent price and incentives, and with reasonable flexibility.

Moreover, do anticipate the possibility of a long drought in 2020. Although the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that there will be no extreme weather, but the Government should be aware of it, especially to factors that may affect the supply of rice.

Fourth, do ensure that the farmers can continue producing staple foods to maintain the Nation’s food production. One of the steps is by implementing health protocols and economic stimulus programs which is targeted to the farmers.

I conclude my remarks here.

Translated by Estu Widyamurti
Reviewed by Yuyu Mulyani