Bali does not need to import rice: official

Denpasar (Antaranews Bali) - Bali Province has adequate rice stocks and hence does not need to import the staple, a local official stated.

"Bali has adequate rice supplies and stocks. Admittedly, there has been a price hike," Chief of the Bali Provincial Food Security Office I Wayan Mardiana noted here on Saturday.  

Bali currently has a rice surplus of 50 thousand tons, while the National Logistics Agency office in the province still holds more than 8,500 tons. The rice stocks are adequate to meet the three-month consumption.

The per capita rice consumption in Bali stands at 276.31 grams per day, or 7.7 kilograms per month, he noted. Last year, the province had produced 486,747 tons of rice from 142,321 hectares of paddy fields, he remarked.

With a population of 4.2 million and per capita rice consumption of 7.7 kilograms per month, the province's demand had reached 415,149 tons last year, he revealed. "Hence, we still have a rice surplus," he added.

Until now, the price of premium-quality rice does not exceed the upper retail price (HET), he stated.

"Only medium-grade rice is sold at above HET. However, the quality of medium-quality rice in Bali is better than that of medium-grade rice set by the Trade Office," he remarked. (WDY)