Bulog is now ready to carry out market operations to offset price hikes which usually took place during the October, November, December, January and February period.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Director of state logistics board Bulog Sutarto Alimoeso said Bulog had best rice stocks in 2012.

Sutarto explained that national rice stocks reached 2.3 million tons and rice procurement at home reached 3.7 million tons.

"Rice stocks and rice procurement at home are in the best position up to the end of December. This is the best condition along Bulog`s history," he said after attending a seminar on the Indonesian economic prospect 2013 here on Monday.

He said that the company applied an ant nest system so that it was able to achieve stock and domestic rice procurement targets.

Bulog is now ready to carry out market operations to offset price hikes which usually took place during the October, November, December, January and February period.

The good rice stock and rice procurement at home is also followed by the decline in rice import. This year, the rice import --which reached 700 thousand tonnes-- declined by 157.14 percent from that in the previous year which was 1.8 million tons.

"This is supported with the increase in rice production by 4.87 percent compared with last year`s. We should not also blame import because it is carried out to provide stock and to make rice price stable at home," Sutarto said.

He hoped that rice price would not trigger inflation. On the other hand, the interest of farmers should not also be harmed when rice price underwent pressure.

"I don`t think there are farmers who say that the price of rice was falling this year thanks to our measure to use the ant nest system," he said.

Regarding rice import next year, said Bulog will unlikely import rice because the ministry of agriculture has set itself the target of raising production by 7 percent to 72 million tons.

"We will no longer need to import rice. But it will all depend on the availability of production," he added.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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