Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman dismissed concerns of a rice shortage, stressing that the issue is merely a shift in distribution patterns from large mills supplying modern retailers to small mills channeling rice into traditional markets.

“This is just a shift filling the space in traditional markets. Previously, large mills dominated modern retail, but now small mills are supplying traditional markets,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday (2/9/2025), as reported by antaranews.com.

He noted that national production remains stable, with supply exceeding demand, ensuring rice availability. The minister emphasized that a shortage can only be declared if production declines, which is not the case. Instead, traditional markets are seeing higher turnover due to the distribution change.

According to government data, small mills can process up to 116 million tons, far surpassing the national grain output of 65 million tons, making them capable of absorbing farmers’ harvests. Projections suggest rice production will reach 31.04 million tons by October 2025, exceeding last year’s total output.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)