Bulog Logs Record 4.5 Million Ton Rice Procurement Yet Premium Prices Stay Above Reference in Several Regions
The state logistics agency strengthened distribution ahead of the holidays as the Food Planas agency accelerates subsidized rice and food assistance; premium rice in zone 2-3 regions, peaking at Rp32,276 per kg in Papua Pegunungan, remains above HET.
State logistics agency Bulog has recorded rice procurement of 4.5 million tons this season, described as a record in the agency's history, with paddy absorption at 4.4 million tons. Despite the stock position, premium rice prices in several regions remain above government reference prices, with the Food Price Control agency reporting the highest at Rp32,276 per kilogram in Papua Pegunungan across its zone 2 and 3 monitoring.
In response, authorities are accelerating the subsidized rice program with an additional 200,000 tons, 77.6 percent realized as of 5 November, and the third stage of food assistance covering 33.2 million families starting November. Bulog, with the national food task force, has formed a joint rice-distribution oversight team that is verifying around 370 public complaints, and announced strengthened distribution ahead of the Christmas and New Year period.
The situation frames a distribution-visibility problem rather than a supply problem: stocks exist at record levels while retail prices in remote zones persist above reference. The oversight operation, complaint verification and assistance distribution all generate high-volume documentation and verification work across dispersed locations, which is the operational layer where distribution tracking and digital verification typically fall short.