Garut, West Java. The Indonesian government plans to import another 3 million tons of rice this year, the same amount it bought from international markets last year.

“We already bought 3 million tons of rice last year. An additional 500,000 tons will arrive later this month,” Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said during a visit to Garut, West Java, on Saturday.

The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) will handle the procurement of 2 million tons of rice for this year, he added.

According to the National Food Agency (Bapanas), the country will suffer a deficit of 2.8 million tons of rice in the coming months.

Last year’s rice import represents a remarkable 613 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

BPS data reveals a steady increase in rice imports over the years, with 444,510 tons in 2019, 356,290 tons in 2020, 407,740 tons in 2021, and 429,210 tons in 2022.

The majority of Indonesia's rice imports in 2023 originated from Thailand and Vietnam, contributing 1.38 million tons and 1.14 million tons, respectively. Additionally, rice was imported from Pakistan (309,000 tons) and Myanmar (141,000 tons).

National rice production in 2023 was estimated at 30.89 million tons, slightly lower than the 31.54 million tons recorded in 2022.

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