The Bulog warehouse is full of rotting rice, the DPR Urges the President intervene – Indonesia’s latest viral

VIRALTERKINI, ID, Jakarta – The polemic of national rice distribution was re -emerged after members of the House of Representatives Commission IV of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Prof. Dr. Ir. Rokhmin Dahuri MS, made a sharp criticism of the stagnation of the distribution of Bulog rice stock.

He said the condition had the potential to cause major losses for the country while harming the people who are currently still facing high rice prices in the market.

In a sudden inspection to a number of Bulog warehouses in Yogyakarta, Semarang and Karawang, Rokhmin found that many rice stocks piled up until some began to be damaged.

According to him, the condition was ironic, because at the same time the community had difficulty getting rice at affordable prices.

“We have inspected warehouses. A lot of rice rot, while distribution has not been released. This is not state money, but loans from Himbara bank. If it is damaged, who is responsible? This could be a time bomb,” said Rokhmin in his statement on Thursday (8/14).

Tug of war between institutions

Rokhmin highlighted the indication of the attraction of authority between the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Perum Bulog, and the Ministry of Agriculture related to rice distribution.

According to him, the situation gave rise to throwing responsibility so that the rice stock was actually hampered out of the warehouse.

“Simple question, who ordered Bulog to withstand the distribution of rice? The indication, these institutions do not want to take risks and finally the people are sacrificed,” said the Professor of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences IPB University.

He added, this protracted situation worsened market conditions. On the one hand, the Bulog warehouse was full even until some rice rotted.

On the other hand, the price of rice on the market continues to soar and burden small communities.

Not from the state budget, but a loan

Furthermore, Rokhmin revealed surprising facts. Rice stocks that have accumulated in the Bulog warehouse do not originate from the allocation of the State Budget (APBN), but from the commercial loan of Bank Himbara.

“This is not the APBN money, but commercial loans. This means that the longer the rice is stored, the greater the state loss due to loan interest, in addition to the potential for destruction of the quality of rice,” he explained.

According to him, if this condition is left unchecked, the consequences are not only financial losses, but also reduce public confidence in national food governance.

“This is clearly negligence, or it can even be a national food policy sabotage,” he said.

Urge the President and Law Apparatus

Rokhmin, who is also the Chairperson of the PDI Perjuangan DPP in the field of Maritime and Fisheries, emphasized that the government must not close their eyes to this issue.

He urged President Prabowo and law enforcement officials to immediately intervene to solve the problem of rice distribution.

“Stock piled up, prices rise, people suffer, up shortening countries. Then these officials wash their hands. This is a scandal! The president and law apparatus must intervene before everything is late,” said the former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in the 2001-2004 period.

He warned that if it was not resolved immediately, this problem could be a bad precedent in the management of national food.

In addition to eroding public trust, these conditions also have the potential to threaten social and economic stability.

Time bomb threat

According to Rokhmin, negligence in handling rice stocks can lead to food disasters with broad impact.

“This can be a time bomb. The people have the right to know, who is the mafia behind this rotten game,” he said.

He stressed that the availability of rice at affordable prices is a basic need for the community.

Therefore, all parties responsible for the distribution of rice should not buy time.

“If the rice is damaged, the loss is not only materially. This concerns the rights of the people to get proper food. Situations like this are dangerous for the stability of the nation,” he added.

Public spotlight

Rokhmin’s hard statement is expected to ignite public attention while pressing the government to provide an open explanation of who is responsible.

The public also awaits the government’s quick steps to ensure that rice in the warehouse is immediately distributed.

Because the need for rice in the community continues to increase, especially ahead of the long dry season which is feared to reduce production. Without quick steps, the risk of the food crisis is getting bigger.

“What is clear, the people should not be victims of attraction between institutions. The state must be present to guarantee food availability at a fair price,” said Rokhmin.

He closed his statement by emphasizing that solving food problems should not be postponed again.

“Food is a matter of life and death of the nation. Don’t mess with the people’s stomach affairs,” he concluded. (indigestion)