Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is planning to deliver 10 thousand tons of rice assistance to Palestine, according to Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan.
Speaking at a press conference after a limited coordination meeting at his office in Jakarta on Thursday, he informed that the government will deliver the humanitarian assistance with the help of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI).
“Hopefully, the rice consignment will have been readied for delivery this month. The TNI will transport the rice aid via sea routes through Jordan or directly to Palestine,” he told the media.
At the same event, Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Hadi highlighted that the government is targeting to complete preparations to dispatch the aid within the next three weeks.
He said his office will delegate the responsibility of preparing the aid to state-run logistics agency Bulog, adding that the aid will be sourced from the government’s rice reserves (CBP).
Regarding budgeting, Hadi said that the government will utilize funds managed by the Indonesian Agency for International Development (Indonesian AID) for the purpose.
Indonesian AID, which operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance, is responsible for giving grants for sustainable development and humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said that the Palestine rice aid plan partly stemmed from the government’s success in securing over four million tons of CBP, the highest volume on record in the past 57 years.
Given the abundance in rice stocks, the government has sufficient supplies to meet domestic needs and provide aid abroad.
Earlier, the government announced its decision to export rice to Malaysia and said it remains open to opportunities for similar partnerships with other countries in Southeast Asia.
