The global heat phenomenon El Nino has been significantly affecting Indonesia, as evidenced by setbacks occurring in food agricultural activities due to drought.
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The government has been distributing El Nino aid in the form of direct cash assistance (BLT) to the people during the November-December 2023 period, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto informed.

"Each family receives Rp200 thousand (US$13) of El Nino BLT per month. This year, the assistance is being distributed for two months, so each family is expected to receive Rp400 thousand (US$26) in total," he remarked during his visit to Yogyakarta on Sunday.

Hartarto further noted that the government is targeting to distribute the cash assistance to as many as 18.8 million beneficiary families nationally. In Yogyakarta City, the government has allocated Rp9.12 billion (US$588 thousand) for a total of 22.810 beneficiary families.

"Earlier, I visited the Post Office of Yogyakarta and met the recipients of the BLT. They expressed hope that the assistance distribution would continue until next year," he stated.

According to the minister, the global heat phenomenon El Nino has been significantly affecting Indonesia, as evidenced by setbacks occurring in food agricultural activities due to drought.

"The planting season has been pushed back to either January or February next year. Hence, the harvesting period will possibly take place during the May-July period of 2024," he elaborated.

He went on to emphasize that the government had been taking various measures for securing sufficient stocks of rice amid El Nino impacts, including by importing the commodity from other countries.

"The government has been striving to ensure the availability of rice. It should be noted that we have secured agreements with other countries on the imports of a total of three million tons (of rice) for next year, he remarked.

Earlier on Friday (December 22), President Joko Widodo revealed that the government had successfully made agreements with India and Thailand on imports of three million tons of rice to strengthen Indonesia's food reserves in 2024.

"To secure strategic reserves for food security, we have to do it (import), meaning we have got one million tons from India and two million tons from Thailand. At least, we can feel secure in terms of food," he remarked in Jakarta.

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Translator: Hery S, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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