The government plans to provide free drying machines to farmers to support the acceleration of rice absorption in order to fulfill the government's rice reserves.
Head of the Food Security Agency, Agung Hendriadi as the Chairman of the Implementation of Sergab (Grain Absorption) said that the agreement between Kementan, Bulog and Gabungan Kelompok Tani (Gapoktan) is expected to optimize the utilization of dryer aid in cooperation with Bulog to support absorption acceleration grain in the framework of fulfillment of government rice reserves.
This absorption target will continue to be pursued considering the potential of harvest is still quite large, especially in 10 provinces, namely North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, East Java, South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara.
Minister of Agriculture, Amran Sulaiman, said giving free drying machine could cut off a supply chain that impact on the price decline. In addition, the quality of dried unhulled rice from farmers will also improve.
"By ordering the president to ask for this dryer, we revised the Rp1 trillion budget to buy 1000 units of dryer which means it can meet the capacity of 10,000 tons -15,000 tons per day so that no complaints of high water content," he said.
Amran said the distribution of free drying machines for farmers will synergize with bulog. This is also done to shorten the chain from 5 times to 2 or 3 of the maximum chain so that bulog can buy cheaply.
"So farmer group is given [dryer machine] then process it. Usually from farmer to bulog 5 times moved. Later 2 or 3 times maximum move. It means [kua; itas] unhulled rice at the farmer level, bulog receive the price because under the HPP, it can mean lower selling bulog, "he concluded.