Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The National Food Agency (Bapanas) is aggressively strengthening domestic food reserves, reaching 4.4 million tons of rice as of April to counter potential production drops caused by the upcoming El Nino phenomenon.

"Our primary mitigation strategy involves maximizing the absorption of local harvests to ensure that government stocks remain a robust pillar of food stability," said Food Availability Deputy I Gusti Ketut Astawa on Friday (3/4/2026), as reported by antaranews.com.

The agency, led by Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, has tasked state logistics company PT Bulog with intensive grain procurement across major production hubs including Java and Lampung. This proactive stockpiling extends beyond rice to include 168,000 tons of corn and 121,000 kiloliters of cooking oil, preparing for predicted dry spells starting this May.

With the southern equatorial regions facing higher drought risks, Bapanas aims to increase rice reserves to 5 million tons within the month to serve as a crucial buffer for market intervention programs, ensuring national food security remains uncompromised despite the challenging climatic forecasts ahead.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)