The reserves are well above the usual ceiling of around 2 million tonnes, ensuring domestic rice demand is fully covered, Amran said after launching a government rice distribution program in Jayapura, Papua.
Rice currently circulating in the market is entirely domestically produced, he said, adding that the government has expanded paddy fields, including new growing areas in Papua, to sustain supply.
The government is supporting new rice field development by providing farming equipment such as hand tractors and building storage warehouses to hold harvests before redistribution to communities.
Amran, who also heads the National Food Agency, said the government has allocated significant funding to strengthen food production, particularly in eastern Indonesia.
This year, authorities are targeting the development of 20,000 hectares of rice fields in Papua, part of a broader plan to open up to 100,000 hectares, with funding valued at about Rp3 trillion (US$195 million).
The Agriculture Ministry stands ready to support the Papua provincial government in accelerating rice field expansion to boost local output, he said.
Amran was in Jayapura to symbolically launch rice distribution under the government’s food supply and price stabilization program across six provinces in the Papua region.
The event was attended by Deputy National Police Chief Dedi Prasetyo, Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, Papua Police Chief Patrige Renwarin and Papua Governor Mathius Fakhiri.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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