The beneficiaries will receive this assistance until March 2024. However, the government will try to extend it until June if the (2024) state budget is sufficient.
Serang, Banten (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government will try to continue to distribute food assistance using its rice reserves until June this year, depending on state budget availability, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said.

"The beneficiaries will receive this assistance until March 2024. However, the government will try to extend it until June if the (2024) state budget is sufficient," he informed during a dialogue with the public at the Bulog Warehouse in Serang city, Banten, on Monday.

According to him, the government is still recalculating its fiscal capacity to ensure the continuity of the assistance. The government will also make strategic efforts to support the pro-people program.

Meanwhile, President Director of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), Bayu Krisnamurthi, said that the food aid program is a government program that offers many benefits to society to improve their welfare. He assured that Bulog's stocks are sufficient to carry out the food aid program for the next few months.

"Our stock is sufficient for the food aid program. The beneficiaries of this program reached 22 million beneficiary groups (KPM) as of June. If we assume that each family consists of four people, then 88 million Indonesians have benefited from this program," he highlighted.

As part of his visit, the President also reviewed the government rice reserve (CBP) stocks and distributed rice aid to several beneficiaries in Serang. Each beneficiary received 10 kilograms of rice along with other basic necessities.

Minister of Trade, Zulkifli Hasan; Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono; head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Arief Prasetyo Adi; Bulog president director Krisnamurthi; Banten acting governor Al Muktabar; and acting mayor of Serang city, Yedi Rahmat, accompanied Widodo during the visit.

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Translator: Desi Purnama S, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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