BPS Data: 2018 National Rice Balance Sheet Shows Estimated Surplus of 2.85 Million Tons

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released data on national rice production from January to September 2018. Converted to rice using a milled rice (GKG) to rice conversion factor, this amounts to 28.47 million tons of rice. Meanwhile, the projected rice production for October-December is 1.52 million tons, 1.2 million tons, and 1.22 million tons, respectively. Therefore, total rice production from January to December 2018 is estimated at 32.42 million tons.

National rice consumption from January to September 2018 reached 22.11 million tons. Estimated rice consumption for October is 2.51 million tons, November 2.43 million tons, and December 2.51 million tons. Thus, total domestic rice consumption reached 29.57 million tons. As a result, this year's rice balance is projected to show a surplus of 2.85 million tons. However, rice production for the last three months of the year is projected to decline to only 3.94 million tons, while consumption is estimated at 7.45 million tons, resulting in a deficit of approximately 3.51 million tons.

The harvested area of rice paddies in Indonesia this year is estimated to reach 10.9 million hectares, with a paddy production of 56.54 million tons of GKG. Converting this GKG to rice yields an estimated 32.42 million tons of rice.