Bapanas Secretary Sarwo Edhy said the extension was enabled through the end-of-fiscal-year escrow account scheme, known as RPATA, which allows unused budget funds to be carried over beyond the close of the fiscal year.
“The extension is made possible through the RPATA mechanism, which has been approved by the Ministry of Finance and coordinated with the National Food Agency,” Edhy told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday.
He said the decision was intended to anticipate price volatility around the New Year period and to ensure households continue to have access to affordable, good-quality rice amid shifting market conditions.
Edhy explained that RPATA is regulated under Finance Minister Regulation No. 84 of 2025 and functions as an account managed by the state treasurer to hold funds earmarked for activities that cannot be completed before the fiscal year ends.
He stressed that SPHP rice distribution remains one of the government’s key tools for maintaining national food security and price stability, noting that by the end of 2025 a total of 802,900 tonnes of rice had been distributed under the program.
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“To stabilize prices, we must optimize the remaining 697,100 tonnes of SPHP rice allocated for 2025 by accelerating distribution,” Edhy said, adding that the policy is backed by 3.25 million tonnes of rice stocks held by state logistics agency Bulog at the close of last year.
He said distribution during the extended period would continue through multiple channels, including Red and White Village Cooperatives, traditional markets, modern retail outlets and government-run low-cost food operations.
Looking ahead, Edhy said distribution under the 2026 SPHP program would begin on February 1, after the government agreed to allocate 1.5 million tonnes of rice for this year during a coordination meeting on food affairs held on December 29.
Separately, Edhy confirmed that the government has also extended the distribution period for rice and cooking oil under a 2025 food aid program, adding that as of January 9 Bulog had delivered 351,600 tonnes of rice and 70.3 million liters of cooking oil to 17.58 million beneficiaries nationwide.
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Translator: M. Harianto, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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