"It is true that there is Raskin rice with bad smell and not proper for consumption which has been distributed to the poor. Bulog has to replace it," Zuber Safawi of the the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission IV on agricultural affairs, said here on Sunday.
He said that he had received a report on the distribution to the poor of bad quality rice, particularly in Semarang, Central Java. This should be replaced because the poor people got it not free of charge, he said.
The politician of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that Bulog President Director Sutarto Alimoeso had to keep his promise he made sometime ago when he said he guaranteed that Raskin rice which would be distributed to the poor would not create complaint, particularly with regard to its quality.
"Bulog guarantees that it would sort out rice which is not proper for consumption to become rice with quality standard," Zuber said.
But what happened in the field was that it showed the other fact. Besides not proper for consumption, the rice which is contained in the 15 kg sack categories, was also believed to have been reduced by about one to 5 ounces each.
"People would normally understand if some of the rice turns blackish and lost several ounces. However They would complain if they found that the rice could not be consumed," he said.
After all, the Raskin rice is not distributed for free but sold a lower price.
Moreover, the price of Raskin rice set by the government is Rp1,600 per kg but in practice some had been sold at between Rp1,800 and Rp2,000 per kg.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
