Jakarta – The Main Secretary of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Sarwo Edhy, emphasized that food aid in the form of rice which will begin to be distributed in June 2025 is part of the government’s strategy to maintain people’s purchasing power while also curbing the rate of inflation amid global uncertainty.
“This food aid is part of the economic stimulus focused on maintaining household consumption. The target is 18.3 million Beneficiary Families (KPM), each of whom will receive 10 kilograms of rice per month for two months,” said Sarwo.
Sarwo emphasized that this policy was designed while still considering the balance between protecting low-income communities and the sustainability of farmers’ income. According to him, food aid should not cause the price of rice to fall at the producer level.
“The Head of Bapanas also paid attention so that prices at the farmer level are not disturbed by this assistance. So the program must run in balance, the community is helped, farmers also remain enthusiastic about planting,” he explained.
Sarwo also revealed that his party has established close coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture to avoid price distortions upstream. He said that currently the government has understood the importance of maintaining two sides at once, namely people’s purchasing power and the sustainability of agricultural production.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that the launch of the national economic stimulus, including food aid, is part of a broader policy package to support domestic consumption, especially labor-intensive industries.
“For Indonesia, we look ahead to how to maintain people’s purchasing power so that economic growth is maintained. One of them is by launching five stimulus packages that are expected to maintain industrial activity and encourage household consumption,” said Airlangga.
Airlangga emphasized that Indonesia has aligned with more than 90 percent of OECD fiscal and financial standards. In fact, Indonesia and Japan are currently leading the Southeast Asia regional partnership program for the OECD.
As part of concrete steps to maintain food stability, Bapanas has also organized the Cheap Food Movement 3,666 times until June 2, 2025. The details are, 60 times at the central level, 786 times in 34 provinces, and 2,820 times in 252 districts/cities.
Sarwo emphasized that all of these policies will be effective if implemented consistently and collaboratively across sectors.
“With strong synergy, we are confident that people’s purchasing power can be maintained, prices remain stable, and national economic growth will not be disrupted amidst global challenges,” he concluded.
