‘Quo Vadis’, Rice Imports?
The effectiveness of the government\'s decision to import rice in January 2018 in curbing the price surge remains uncertain.
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Activists check imported rice from Vietnam on a Singapore bulk freighter docked at Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta, on Wednesday (14/2). The imported rice, labeled with State Logistics Agency (Bulog) stickers, is being taken to Bulog’s Jakarta-Banten storehouse in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. Several ports across the country have seen the arrival of 281,000 tons of imported rice.
The effectiveness of the government\'s decision to import rice in January 2018 in curbing the price surge remains uncertain. The decision has caused controversy and a drawn-out polemic. In fact, imports are common. The Food Law also allows the option to import. If production is unable to meet demand, the import policy is "lawful".
However, it becomes a problem when decision to import rice is based on price fluctuations.