Indonesia Imported 407,700 Tons of Rice Throughout 2021

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia's rice imports totaled 114,450 tons worth US$51.76 million during the September-December 2021 period. This value increased by 24.4% compared to the previous quarter, which saw only 92,000 tons worth US$40.38 million.

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, the volume of Indonesian rice imports in the fourth quarter of this year only increased slightly by 0.31%, while the value decreased by 11.49%.

Cumulatively, from January to December 2021, the volume of Indonesian rice imports reached 407,740 tons. This figure grew by 14.44% compared to the same period the previous year. Meanwhile, the value of rice imports recorded a decrease of 5.94% to US$183.8 million throughout last year compared to the previous year.

Indonesia once recorded its largest rice imports, reaching 981,990 tons worth US$401 million in the first quarter of 2016.

Since 2019, the government has largely closed the tap on rice imports. Rice import permits are now only issued for specific purposes, such as for hotels, restaurants, cafes, and foreign nationals residing in Indonesia. These special rices include Basmati, Japonica, Hom Mali, and 100% broken rice for industrial raw materials.