JAKARTA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's State Logistics Agency (Bulog) plans to expand its rice storage capacity to seven million tons as government rice reserves continue to rise, prompting the agency to lease additional warehouse space nationwide, Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani said on Friday.
Ramdhani said Bulog's rice stock had reached 5.39 million tons, saying the increase was part of efforts to support the government's food security and self-sufficiency agenda.
"We are making preparations in anticipation of reaching seven million tons," he told reporters in South Jakarta.
Bulog's existing warehouse network currently has a storage capacity of around four million tons. To accommodate the growing stockpile, the agency has leased additional facilities with a combined capacity of about two million tons and is preparing another one million tons of storage space, Ramdhani said.
According to Ramdhani, the expansion is expected to improve logistics distribution and support further increases in national rice reserves.
Indonesia has stepped up efforts to strengthen domestic food security under President Prabowo Subianto, with Bulog continuing to procure rice from local farmers amid rising national production. ■
