Jayapura, Papua– Perum Bulog has confirmed that rice supplies across the Papua region remain sufficient, with total stocks currently reaching 38,811 tons.
Head of the Papua Regional Office of Perum Bulog, Ahmad Mustari, said the figure includes rice already stored in Bulog warehouses as well as supplies currently being shipped from Surabaya and Makassar.
“The rice owned by Bulog Papua comes from Surabaya and Makassar,” Ahmad Mustari told ANTARA in Jayapura, Papua, on Thursday.
Of the total stock, 18,611 tons have been stored in warehouses at 10 Bulog branches across Papua. Meanwhile, another 20,200 tons are still in transit and undergoing unloading at ports.
The rice stock already available in Bulog warehouses is distributed across several areas, including 2,608 tons in Jayapura, 1,987 tons in Biak, 1,175 tons in Serui, 1,633 tons in Wamena, 2,807 tons in Nabire, and 1,237 tons in Timika.
Additional stocks include 1,372 tons in Merauke, 1,853 tons in Manokwari, 876 tons in Fakfak, 2,451 tons in Sorong, and 609 tons in Teminabuan.
Ahmad Mustari explained that the rice stock will be used to meet various food needs, including distribution through the Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) program, food assistance, and as a reserve to respond to food needs in the event of natural disasters.
He said the stock needs to be properly managed to ensure continued availability, particularly because Bulog must maintain the distribution of SPHP rice to help stabilize rice prices for the public.
“The rice is currently stored in Bulog warehouses spread across six provinces in the Papua region, namely Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, Central Papua, West Papua, and Southwest Papua,” Mustari said.
With the available stock, Bulog continues to maintain the distribution of rice across Papua according to local community needs and government programs.
