TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Managing Director of Perum Bulog, Agmad Rizal Ramdhani, has urged calm for the public about the national rice reserves amid the rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The rice reserves, he said, currently stand at a safe 4.387 million tons.
As of April 1, 2026, the government rice reserve stock stored at Bulog warehouses surpassed last year's record of around 3.2 million tons.
"There's no need to panic buy, no need to stress about external impacts, our rice stock is quite significant," said Rizal during a working meeting with the Indonesian House of Representatives Commission XI in Jakarta on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
This signals a boost in national food procurement, as well as rice availability in the country. By the end of April, rice reserves are expected to reach 5 million tons following the harvest season across Indonesia's food production hubs.
Rizal assured all rice reserves are stored in Bulog warehouses, promising easy distribution if needs arise. Thus, he said, citizens are discouraged from making excessive purchases, as the government guarantees rice availability remains safe and under control despite the war in the Middle East region.
The state-owned logistics company Bulog also reported that the total warehouse capacity across the country reached 5,589,963 tons, with the current occupancy rate at about 4,368,184 tons, leaving a spacious storage still available, at around 1,221,779 tons.
Additionally, Bulog is gearing up to build 100 more warehouses this year, as mandated by President Prabowo.
In maintaining price stability, Bulog, together with the Food Task Force, routinely monitors prices in the market up to three times a week to ensure controlled prices.
In addition to market monitoring, Bulog also supervises food producers every week and conducts market operations and cheap markets to respond to the rise in prices of certain commodities.
He added that in general, food prices are stable, although chili commodities still pose a challenge due to high fluctuations caused by weather factors.
Read: Unlike Fuel; Indonesia's Rice Reserve Can Last Longer up to 324 Days
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