March 31, 2026 | 12:54 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman ensures the availability of rice stocks to face the El Nino or prolonged dry season that will last for six months. "The El Nino that we are facing from 2023 is bigger. So this El Nino that we are facing will last for six months, right? Our reserves, Bulog's (State Logistic Agency) reserves, are currently 4.3 million tons," said Amran Sulaiman at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment office on Monday, March 30, 2026.
In addition to ensuring the availability of rice stocks in Bulog's warehouses, Amran Sulaiman explained that there are rice supplies from various sources, for example, the hotel and restaurant industry, which is estimated to reach 12.5 million tons. The rice that is still in the standing crop phase is currently estimated to reach 11 million tons.
Assuming consumption of 2.5-2.6 million tons per month, he estimates that national rice stocks can meet the needs for 10 to 11 months. "What does it mean? Until next year's peak harvest in March, our rice is sufficient," he said.
Amran Sulaiman then compared the government's experience with El Nino this year to that of previous years. He noted that in 2023 and 2024, the government only began addressing El Nino once the season arrived.
However, at present, the Minister of Agriculture stated that the government has been preparing to face El Nino well in advance. For example, through an irrigation program of approximately 1 million hectares and the distribution of around 60,000-70,000 pumps throughout Indonesia. "It's like our troops, we are well-prepared, safe," he said.
Read: Extreme El Nino Threat: Indonesia Slashes Irrigation Water Use by 20%
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