Bulog Signs Contracts to Import 425 Thousand Tons of Rice

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The state logistics agency (Bulog) has signed contracts to import 425 thousand tons out of the government-set rice import quota of 500 thousand tons this year.

The 500 thousand tons of rice comprise 200 thousand tons of premium-quality rice and 300 thousand tons of medium-quality rice, Bulog President Director Sutarto Alimoeso said here on Thursday.

"We have signed contracts to import 425 thousand tons of rice which will soon arrive in Indonesia," he said.

The medium-quality rice consists of 175 thousand tons from Thailand and 25 thousand tons from Vietnam, he said.

As much as 50 thousand tons of the imported rice have arrived at the Bulog warehouses and another will be shipped in stages this month, he said.

Despite having received an import permit, Bulog will make an effort to buy local rice to build up its stocks, he said.

"We will import rice in stages while considering the procurement of local rice till the end of this year," he said.

The move is designed to strengthen the country's food sovereignty that no other country will dictate Indonesia in deciding its import policy to maintain its food security, he said.

Bulog is assigned to import rice merely to ensure adequate food supplies and stabilize rice prices, he said. (WDY)