Jakarta. Indonesia witnessed a dramatic surge in rice imports, reaching 3.06 million tons in 2023. The figure represents a remarkable 613 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Monday.

BPS data reveals a steady increase in rice imports over the years, with 444,510 tons in 2019, 356,290 tons in 2020, 407,740 tons in 2021, and 429,210 tons in 2022.

The majority of Indonesia's rice imports in 2023 originated from Thailand and Vietnam, contributing 1.38 million tons and 1.14 million tons, respectively. Additionally, rice was imported from Pakistan (309,000 tons) and Myanmar (141,000 tons).

The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) anticipates the continuation of rice imports this year due to a decline in domestic supplies. National rice production in 2023 was estimated at 30.89 million tons, slightly lower than the 31.54 million tons recorded in 2022.

"Given the government's directive, Bulog is tasked with maintaining a stock of 1 million tons of rice at any given time, and our outstanding stock currently stands at 1.3 million tons," Bulog Head Bayu Krisnamurthi said last week.

The agency has been mandated to import an additional 2 million tons of rice this year to meet domestic demand.