Bapanas Accelerates Rice Distribution to Price-Sensitive Zones as Reserves Stay High

The National Food Agency (Bapanas) has instructed regional governments and the National Police Food Task Force, deployed across 38 provinces, to accelerate the distribution of Market Operation rice (SPHP) and rice food aid to zones 2 and 3, where prices of premium and medium rice have risen in recent weeks. State logistics agency Bulog serves as the sole implementing agency for the program.

According to the agency, an additional allocation of 200,000 tons of SPHP rice has been released, of which 155,300 tons, or 77.6 percent, had been distributed as of 5 November. A separate food aid program is delivering around 1 million tons of rice to 33.2 million beneficiary families between October and December. Bulog's government rice reserve stood at approximately 4.6 million tons, with national warehouse utilization at about 70 percent.

External analysts, including researchers from CORE Indonesia and INDEF, have raised concerns over stock rotation and reported leakage in the distribution chain, including the repackaging of subsidised SPHP rice as premium rice. These claims have not been verified by Bulog.