REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, INDRAMAYU -- Indonesia's Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita stated that the imported rice from Vietnam and Thailand would not be distributed to production centers. He has inspected the warehouses of State Logistic Agency (Bulog) to assure that the imported rice would be stored and would not be distributed to rice production centers.

The minister inspected some warehouses of Bulog in Jakarta, Banten division, and Indramayu division.

Rice stock in Singakerta warehouse of Indramayu division has amounted to 93 tons, from its capacity of 21,500 tons.

However, the stock is expected to increase with the upcoming harvesting season in the region. Indramayu and Cirebon are among rice production centers in the country.

Enggartiasto assured that the agency would absorb farmers' rice based on the presidential instruction no. 5/2015, with the government's purchasing price for unhusked rice set at Rp3,700 per kilogram at farmers level and Rp3,750 per kilogram at the milling level.

The price of husked rice was set at Rp4,600 per kilogram in millings and Rp4,650 per kilogram in Bulog's warehouse. "I guarantee that Bulog will absorb the farmers' rice. We have the regulation plus 20 percent of flexibility," Enggartiasto noted here on Tuesday.

A data of the ministry's market monitoring system showed that the price of medium quality rice has slightly increased.

As of Friday, the national average price has reached Rp11,084 per kilogram, and on Monday, it has increased to Rp11,085 per kilogram, above the ceiling price of Rp9,450 per kilogram for Java, Lampung, South Sumatra, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and Sulawesi.

In early February, the commodity's price was recorded at Rp11,225 per kilogram.

Rice stock at Cipinang rice central market was recorded at 30,045 tons on Monday, increasing from 23,452 tons of stock in early February.

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