REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- State-Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskand said state logistics board Bulog might organize a party to celebrate its success in stopping rice imports this year.

"Beginning this year, Bulog no longer needs to import rice. This is an encouraging achievement, which deserves to be celebrated as a token of gratitude," Dahlan said after holding a state-owned enterprises leadership meeting at his office on Wednesday.

The minister stated that owing to the hard work of Bulog's management, Indonesia will no longer have to import rice year, which is an occurrence that has taken place for the first time over the past several decades.

During 2013, Bulog's rice stocks reached 3.6 million tons. "We hope to maintain this trend in 2014," Dahlan noted.

He further said that the party was also being held to publicize Bulog's success in managing the country's rice stocks.

The Minister said he would leave it to Bulog's management to choose a location for holding the party. It could be held at the National Monument (Monas) Square or at all of Bulog's regional divisions.

"It is up to Bulog's President Director Sutarto Alimoeso," the Minister stressed.

He said the success of Bulog was reflected in the rice stocks, which still filled Bulog's warehouses across the country.

Bulog began to store large stocks at the end of last year. The levels of stored rice stocks in 2012 were the largest ever, which reportedly touched 2.3 million tons by the end of 2012 and exceeded the target of 2 million tons.

Since then, the agency had seen a decline in its rice imports for 2012, which fell by about 157.14 percent from 2011.

Last year, rice imports were estimated to be 700 thousand tones, a decline of 157.14 percent from the previous year, when they were pegged at 1.8 million tons.

This year, Bulog will no longer need to import rice, since it reported a stock of 3.6 million tons at the end of the year.

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