Based on data from the Ministry of Trade's Market and Basic Needs Monitoring System (SP2KP), rice prices in Indonesia have continued to rise during the first four months of 2023.
As of April 28, 2023, after the Lebaran holiday, the average national price of premium rice was Rp13,928 per kilogram (kg).
The price of premium rice increased by 1.6% month-on-month (mom), rose by 12.3% year-on-year (yoy), and reached the highest price in the last five years.
A similar trend occurred for medium-quality rice. On April 28, 2023, the average national price of medium rice reached Rp12,601 per kg. The price increased by 1.6% (mom), rose by 15.9% (yoy), and reached the highest price since 2018.
The following are the 10 provinces with the highest average premium rice prices on April 28, 2023:
1. South Kalimantan: Rp17,386 per kg
2. Central Kalimantan: Rp16,233 per kg
3. West Sumatra: Rp15,944 per kg
4. North Maluku: Rp15,583 per kg
5. Papua: Rp15,311 per kg
6. West Kalimantan: Rp15,300 per kg
7. Maluku: Rp14,975 per kg
8. West Papua: Rp14,750 per kg
9. North Kalimantan: Rp14,694 per kg
10. Riau: Rp14,647 per kg
The following are the 10 provinces with the highest average medium rice prices on April 28, 2023:
1. South Kalimantan: Rp14,911 per kg
2. West Papua: Rp14,347 per kg
3. North Kalimantan: Rp13,997 per kg
4. West Sumatra: Rp13,817 per kg
5. Maluku: Rp13,633 per kg
6. Gorontalo: Rp13,347 per kg
7. Papua: Rp13,181 per kg
8. Central Kalimantan: Rp13,061 per kg
9. East Nusa Tenggara: Rp12,767 per kg
10. North Sumatra: Rp12,550 per kg
According to Ahmad, a rice trader at Pondok Labu Traditional Market in South Jakarta, rice prices are increasing due to low stock.
"Rice stocks from producers are dwindling, even though it's the main harvest season," Ahmad told *Katadata* on Wednesday (April 26, 2023).
Ahmad predicts that rice prices could rise further in the future if there is no additional stock from producers. He hopes that the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) can supply rice to the market to curb price increases.
On the other hand, Bulog stated that it had absorbed 143,000 tons of rice from farmers during the early harvest season this year until April 11, 2023. However, this absorption figure is considered very low.
Bulog is tasked with absorbing 2.4 million tons of rice by the end of 2023, with 1.68 million tons (70%) of that target to be absorbed during the main harvest season.