Bapanas Head and Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman explained that the assistance came from the state budget and was allocated through Bapanas to meet the needs of survivors.
"We have sent assistance worth around Rp100 billion as of today, namely rice," he said after swearing in several officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Bapanas in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Amran noted that the aid dispatched so far consists of rice provided by state logistics firm Bulog, adding that other various essential items, such as cooking oil, will follow.
He affirmed that he and related officials will soon visit the disaster-affected areas to ensure that food aid distribution meets the needs of impacted communities.
According to him, aid delivery was accelerated because the community's needs could not wait, while administrative processes would be finalized after the aid was dispatched.
Amran revealed that rice stocks for NTT have been boosted fivefold, supported by a secure national reserve of around 5.2 million metric tons.
The government is ensuring that national food supplies remain stable while accelerating humanitarian relief to guarantee that communities affected by the NTT earthquake receive essential supplies without delay.
Earlier, Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani confirmed that food stocks in NTT remain secure to support disaster-hit communities throughout the emergency response and post-earthquake recovery phases.
Rice inventory in the province currently stands at 35,000 to 37,000 metric tons, which is sufficient to meet short-term disaster relief requirements.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck NTT on Saturday (August 15) morning, triggering a tsunami warning from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) that was later lifted.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the death toll had reached 68 as of Monday (August 17), with 213 others injured.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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