Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Director of Food Plantation Horticulture, and Plantation Statistic, Central Bureau of Statistic (CBS), Kadarmanto said that the single data about the food production nationally starts being used. The data used is by ministry of agriculture (Ministry of agriculture) about the paddy production, which is the same with the data used by CBS.

“For in every single month after we observe through KSA (Kerangka Sample Area), we directly the data to Ministry of Agriculture through Pusdatin (Pusat data dan Informasi). We agreed with the quality of data in Pusdatin. "Every single month we always coordinate with them,” he said in Jakarta, Sunday (3/5/2020), as in the official written statement to Agricom.id.

He also explained that the same data was also sent to Badan Urusan Logistik (Bulog) and some other institutions as the commitment of Single Data which was agreed in December 2019.

"We even sent the data of paddy production to Bulog. We always coordinate with the Pusdatin, Ministry of Agriculture and or other ministries and institutions about the food update and others,” he said.

Meanwhile, relating to what President Joko Widodo told about minus production in 7 provinces, he said that it was the monthly data used by Badan Ketahanan Pangan (BKP) Ministry of Agriculture.

"Actually, the minus data is about availability. In CBS, we sent the monthly production. BKP might use the availability of data. But we sent the data to Pusdatin. So our data, whoever uses it, is the authority of Pusdatin, Ministry of agriculture," he emphasized.

He also mentioned that the surplus and deficit are mostly influenced by the consumption in the society. For example, he continued, the consumption needs in the fasting days and lebaran tend to be increasing. So if there is deficit, it is normal still.

“To calculate the surplus and deficit is influenced by some things, namely the needs and the consumption. CBS itself just calculates the surplus/deficit of production, which is, the total production minus the total consumption/needs,” he said.

On the other hand, he also supported what ministry of agriculture has done to fix the distribution system which might be the trigger of food deficit. But apart from that, ministry of agriculture should also check the Delta Stock in the food warehouses in Indonesia.

"I think that it needs to check the Delta Stock and improve the distribution system so this could be used as the reference of availability. If it is multiplied by the stocks in Bulog, it needs to ensure that the stocks in Bulog are the imported ones while the grain to the domestic needs cover the production. But we are in surplus nationally,” he said.

In the previous, ministry of agriculture predicted that the rice production by June 2020 would be surplus about 6,4 million tons. The estimation is based on the production and the consumption per month, and after calculating the available stocks.

The stocks in the end of March 2020 reached 3,45 million tons, within details, the stocks in Bulog reaching 1,4 million tons, in the millings reaching 1,2 million tons, in the traders (sellers) reaching 754.000 tons, and in the lumbung pangan masyarakat (LPM) reaching 2,939 tons. the numbers are not the stocks in the society, such as, the household and horeka.

Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) said that his side keeps maintaining the food availability namely 11 main daily needs. Besides he intensifies the cooperation with other related ministries, and institutions about the availability and distribution of food to run well. (A2)