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Ombudsman warns about maladministration in rice imports
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National stockpiles: Porters carry bags of rice at a warehouse run by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) in Kelapa Gading, Jakarta. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he government needs to pay close attention to 12 indicators in accordance with Law No. 18 of 2012 concerning food to avoid maladministration in deciding about rice imports following recent changes, the Indonesian Ombudsman has warned.
According to the Ombudsman’s assessment, the government does not meet all the 12 requirements for its plan to import 500,000 tonnes of rice and has only based the decision on certain aspects, such as the “anticipation of a food crisis” and a “lack of stocks” in the Government Rice Reserves (CBP) managed by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
"This could cause maladministration in making decisions on rice imports," Indonesian Ombudsman member Yeka Hendra Fatika was quoted as saying in a statement released on Thursday.
The 12 indicators in said law pertain to the state of cultivation areas, the national paddy and rice production potential, the projected availability of CBP, the current availability of CBP as well as the adequacy of rice stocks at households, millers and traders.
Other indicators are per-capita rice consumption, developments in rice exports and imports, the stability of rice prices, Bulog’s targets for the absorption and distribution of domestic rice produce, planting and harvesting seasons, threats to food production as well as emergencies and potential food crises.
Presently, Bulog’s rice reserves amount to only about 503,000 tonnes, the agency’s public relations head Tomi Wijaya revealed on Tuesday, which is a far cry from the 1.2 million tonnes year-end target.
Read also: Logistics issues may jeopardize rice imports as Bulog’s reserves run low
