Indonesia's record rice stock

Indonesia’s government rice reserve reached 5.198 million tonnes on April 23, the biggest stockpile the country says it has ever held. (jawawa.id) Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman announced the figure at 08:55 a.m. Western Indonesia Time during an inspection at a Bulog warehouse in Karawang, West Java. He said the reserve is managed by state logistics company Perum Bulog. (jawawa.id) The increase was fast even by recent standards. Amran said the reserve stood at about 4.5 million tonnes on April 5 and could reach 5 million within 20 days; by April 23, it had moved past that mark. (en.antaranews.com, jawawa.id) The stock matters because rice is Indonesia’s main staple, and a larger government buffer gives Jakarta more room to stabilize supply and prices if harvests stumble. Amran said Indonesia imported about 7 million tonnes in 2023 and 2024 combined, then stopped rice imports in 2025 and expects to avoid them again in 2026. (jawawa.id) The build-up comes after a stronger harvest cycle. The Food and Agriculture Organization said Indonesia’s 2025 paddy production was officially estimated at 59 million tonnes, about 9 percent above average, and said the 2026 first paddy crop had favorable prospects as harvesting began in February. (fao.org) Officials say policy changes helped fill state warehouses. On April 5, Amran credited a higher government purchase price for unhusked rice, a 20 percent cut in subsidized fertilizer prices and other production measures for lifting reserves. (en.antaranews.com) The stockpile is now bigger than Bulog’s core warehouse network can hold on its own. Amran said Bulog has about 3 million tonnes of warehouse capacity and the government has added roughly 2 million tonnes through rented storage, including a 102,000-tonne warehouse in Karawang. (jawawa.id) The cushion may be tested later this year. Indonesia’s weather agency has warned that a weak to moderate El Niño has up to an 83 percent chance of emerging around mid-2026, a pattern that can bring hotter, drier conditions and has previously pushed rice prices higher. (thestar.com.my) Other forecasters also see risks beyond the current harvest. A December 2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture report said Indonesia’s 2025/26 rice production could decline because repeated paddy planting raises pest and disease risks and because some farmland is being converted to non-agricultural use. (fas.usda.gov) For now, Jakarta is leaning on full warehouses as proof that the market is better supplied than it was during the import-heavy years. The next test is whether that reserve can stay high through the dry season without reopening the import tap. (jawawa.id, thestar.com.my)