Jakarta. The government rice reserves managed by state logistics agency Bulog surpassed 5 million tons on Thursday, marking the highest level ever recorded in the country’s history.

The stockpile will serve not only as a strategic national reserve but also support food assistance programs for the public, Deputy Agriculture Minister Sudaryono said.

“Today, April 23, 2026, Bulog, as the institution tasked with managing government rice reserves, recorded total storage of 5,000,198 tons -- the highest since this republic was founded,” Sudaryono said in a statement on Thursday.

He said the quality of Bulog’s rice reserves remained strong, including rice stored for as long as one year.

“We inspected the quality today and it was good. Some had been stored for one year, some for six months, all were in good condition with no pests. I checked randomly, including sealed rice sacks that I asked to be opened for quality testing,” he said.

Data from the Central Statistics Agency showed a positive production trend, with national rice output in 2025 rising 13.29% year-on-year to 34.69 million tons, supported by larger harvested areas and government measures to strengthen the agricultural sector.

Earlier, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said Indonesia’s rice supply was more than sufficient and that the government was considering exports to neighboring countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.

The plan follows Indonesia’s first successful shipment of premium rice to Saudi Arabia.

Amran said exports to neighboring markets offer logistical and geographic advantages. Indonesia previously exported 2,280 tons of premium rice worth Rp 38 billion ($2.2 million) to Saudi Arabia, which he said demonstrated that Indonesian rice meets international standards.

“We must no longer depend on food supplies from abroad. In a global crisis, no country will willingly release its food to others. That is the lesson of history,” Amran said.

He added that the rice surplus would also allow Indonesia to provide humanitarian aid, including a planned shipment of 10,000 tons for the people of Palestine.

The National Food Agency (Bapanas) said domestic food security remains strong across key staples. Bapanas deputy head I Gusti Ketut Astawa said Indonesia has also halted corn imports since last year because domestic production is sufficient.

He added that several other food commodities no longer require imports for domestic consumption, including consumer sugar, shallots, chili peppers, chicken meat, and eggs.

Indonesia’s current food imports are largely limited to soybeans, garlic, and beef, whose demand levels are not dominant, Ketut said.

Recently, the government also announced plans for its first urea fertilizer export shipment of 250,000 tons to Australia, another milestone in the agricultural sector.

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