Indonesia is open to exporting rice to other Southeast Asian countries after authorizing a plan to send rice to Malaysia.
This was announced by Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman during an event in Jakarta on Friday celebrating Indonesia’s success in securing 4 million tons of rice reserves.
"President Prabowo Subianto has made it clear that the government is willing to supply rice to countries in need, especially neighboring nations," Sulaiman said.
However, he emphasized that rice exports would only be permitted once domestic demand is fully met.
"Of course, domestic needs take priority," he affirmed.
Sulaiman said Indonesia plans to export 2,000 tons of rice per month to Malaysia through business-to-business agreements.
"The plan is to send rice from West Kalimantan, which is the closest region to Malaysia," he added.
He noted that the government would let businesses decide when to begin shipments.
On May 22, Sulaiman revealed that Malaysia had expressed interest in importing rice from Indonesia due to rising prices there.
“They asked whether rice could be imported from Indonesia. However, I told them that for now, we are focusing on maintaining our domestic rice stock,” he said.
On May 28, Deputy Agriculture Minister Sudaryono confirmed that President Prabowo had given the green light for the export plan.
He added that Malaysian businesses had requested around 2,000 tons of rice per month, although the volume may be adjusted based on Indonesia’s supply capacity.
Sudaryono also said that discussions with the Malaysian government and businesses have taken place and that Indonesia is awaiting Malaysia’s export mechanism and official follow-up before launching the shipments.
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Translator: Putu Indah, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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