REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution has scrutinized the rice production forecast by the Agriculture Ministry as often missing the target. He asserted that the Agriculture Ministry has the authority to issue the rice production data.

However, the Agriculture missed the target every year. Accurate data related to rice production forecast is important as it affects the government's policy on rice imports, he noted.

"We have asked for a revision, but it still carries the same data," he stated.

Darmin explained that the decision to import rice was conducted in the third quarter of 2017. The policy was made as the price of rice began to rise and supplies at Bulog were 978,000 tons, while the national demand per month was 2.3-2.4 million tons.

Darmin scrutinized the rice production forecast of 13.7 million tons in the first quarter of this year. It consisted of 2.5 million tons in January, 4.7 million tons in February, and 6.8 million tons in March.

However, when he held a coordination meeting on March 19, 2018, he disclosed that the medium-and premium-class rice stocks stood at only 590 thousand tons, falling short of the stocks of 903 thousand tons as of Jan 15, 2018. The rice stocks are not too large as average monthly rice consumption stands at 2.4 million tons.

He held another coordination meeting on March 28, 2018 as the harvest time would end soon. At the meeting, the government decided to import one million tons of rice, bringing the total rice imports to 2 million tons for the entire year.

"The rice production forecast was 6.5 million tons (in March 2018). Although the stocks rose to 649 thousand tons, the increase means nothing. The grand harvest would come to end soon and we hope the stocks will be alright in the future," he asserted.

Previously, President Director of the State Logistic Agency (Bulog) Budi Waseso "Buwas" assured that the agency has adequate supply of the staple commodity to meet demand until June 2019. He informed the press here on Wednesday that he had formed a team involving the Agriculture Ministry, Bulog, and independent experts to analyze the national rice demand and supply.

He revealed that he team has recommended that Indonesia does not need to import until June 2019. Furthermore, he said Bulog might also not have to release its imported rice stock.

"We have to maintain it. We should not rely on imports," Buwas revealed.

According to Buwas, Bulog's rice stock currently reached 2.4 million tons. With imports in October, the total rice stocks had reached 2.8 million tons.

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