Reporter: Han Revanda.

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia has exported special rice to several countries, including Saudi Arabia, as confirmed by the head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Arief Prasetyo Adi. This type of rice is used for specific purposes, like hotel purposes, restaurants, and catering.

“Indonesia has indeed been exporting special rice, recently we have also exported to Saudi Arabia and other places,” said Arief in a written statement on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

For regular rice, the Bapanas leader said Prabowo has greenlighted the exports, especially to aid neighboring countries experiencing rice shortages. But the Indonesian government is right now focusing on the preparation of government rice reserves (CBP).

Arief acknowledged that Indonesia should be able to export regular rice once production is stable and the rice reserves are sufficient. “President Prabowo is committed to helping other countries in need, but the main priority remains boosting domestic food resilience,” said Arief.

The Former CEO of PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia assured that the current 3.7 million tons of rice stock is adequate for the second semester of 2025. The reserves come from excess 2024 rice stock of 1.8 million tons and an estimated 8 million tons of production surplus in 2025.

The CBP is prepared as a precaution for various government needs, including food assistance and market interventions through the food supply and price stabilization program (SPHP).

“President Prabowo Subianto has mandated us to prepare CPB of about 3.7 to 3.8 million tons by the end of this month,” said the former head of the Supervisory Board of Perum Bulog.

Arief stated that the government is committed to maintaining national production sustainability through strategies such as planting a minimum of 1 million hectares of rice fields per month, strengthening irrigation channels, and increasing production quality through intensification, extensification, and food diversification efforts.

Regarding prices, Arief said the government will selectively intervene if there is a burden on consumers due to price increases, while ensuring that the prices at the farmer level do not drop below Rp6,500 per kilogram. Therefore, Bapanas has tasked Perum Bulog with gradually and carefully distributing rice, especially during the June-July period when the producer prices are declining.

The government also educates farmers to maintain the quality of rice, especially those that will be included in the CBP scheme. “Post-harvest quality is a determinant of the effectiveness of government rice reserve storage and distribution,” he said.

Published Date: May 22, 2025