Jakarta. Indonesia is planning to import 1 million tons of rice no later than end-2024, according to Chief Food Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan on Monday.

The minister said the soon-to-be-imported rice was not a new order. They are part of the 3.6 million tons of rice that the government wants to import this year to keep the government’s rice reserves at 2 million tons this year.

“About 150,000 tons [of the 1 million tons] would soon arrive in Indonesia. The remaining 850,000 tons will follow,” Zulkifli told reporters when visiting the state logistics firm Bulog’s warehouse in Jakarta. 

Rice is a staple food in Indonesia -- hence, the government’s efforts to make sure that the country has enough cereal grain to feed its population. Zulhas said that the imports would come from multiple rice-producing countries, although he did not go into details on the source.

“We will try to do better next year, namely by importing less and producing more [rice domestically]. We will carefully plan things to make sure that the [rice] assistance can reach the population without a hitch,” Zulkifli said.

The Coordinating Ministry of Food Affairs plans to set aside Rp 139.4 trillion ($8.8 billion) in their budget for next year's food self-sufficiency program. The money, however, will be split among other related ministries.