Inp.polri.go.id – Jakarta. The Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman calmed the public by saying several parts of Indonesia are on harvest season. “We believe the rice stock for March, April, and May will be safe. Thus, we implore public to not worry for the rice short supply in Ramadan,” said Amran on Thursday (3/14/2024). Amran says that the statement was based on Statistics Central Agency (BPS) data regarding harvest season in February and March of this year. The Ministry states that according to the Area Sample Framework of BPS, in March 2024 it is estimated that there will be a rice production up to 3.51 million tons. The number is higher that the national monthly demand of 2.5 million tons. “We pray it would be according to BPS data to ensure that our rice stock for March, April, May are safe. For the supply availability in June, we could predict it from the seeding in March,” explain Amran. Amran notes that the rice production for this year would be plentiful and will give a huge impact for its price in market. Furthermore, Amran states one of the provinces who guarantees that their rice harvest for this year would be plentiful is East Java. It is estimated that the total harvest in the province for March and April would be 928,105 hectares with the rice production estimated to reach 3,346 tons. (ad/ndt/pr/nm)