Bulog Triples Rice Stocks for Flood Affected Areas in Sumatra

Bulog has begun pre-positioning of rice for flood affected areas in Sumatra, a large, major island located in Indonesia. Indonesia’s state food logistics agency Bulog, in its latest report released information about its pre-positioning of up to 50 tonnes of rice at airports and seaports across Sumatra and at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Airport to accelerate humanitarian aid deliveries to disaster-hit areas. Notably, monsoons exacerbated by tropical storms caused some of the worst flooding in Indonesia’s Sumatra. An exceptionally rare tropical storm, named Cyclone Senyar, caused catastrophic landslides and flooding in Indonesia, swiping away homes and submerging thousands of building. To ensure food security in the flood affected areas, the state food agency ordered to stockpile emergency rice stocks.

Instructions to Ensure Food Security for Flood Affected Areas

Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani said regional units had been instructed to maintain emergency rice stocks of at least 20 tonnes and up to 50 tonnes at all airports and ports in disaster-prone areas to ensure rapid emergency food assistance when needed. The state food agency has further ensured food security for areas where road access has cut by prolonged and severe flooding. In this context, the president said that the humanitarian food aid was designed to anticipate sudden demand for air- or sea-lifted aid to isolated districts such as Bener Meriah, Takengon, Agam and Central Tapanuli.

Bulog Ensures Supply of Other Commodities

Rizal further said that standby policy had been implemented since Thursday, Dec. 11, after the state assessed that humanitarian aid operations could be prolonged due to extensive infrastructure damage in several flood affected areas.

The state has also ensured adequate government stocks for other agricultural commodities such as cooking oil and sugar for public kitchens aligning with requests from local governments related to crisis response. All warehouse managers across the state have been directed to ensure rice supply and other staple food for community kitchens immediately upon requests from local authorities.  The Bulog director Rizal said that rice stocks stand at around 79,000 tonnes in Aceh, 29,000 tonnes in North Sumatra and 7,000 tonnes in West Sumatra. Bulog plans to add a further 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes in West Sumatra to strengthen reserves for continued crisis response in the province.