REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LEBAK -- The social affairs minister has ordered all regional heads to immediately issue letters of instruction on allocation (SPA) to distribute rice for the poor (raskin) in September, to help cope with the drought.

"I ask regents and mayors across Indonesia to immediately issue SPAs to regional divisions of the state logistics board (Bulog), to evenly distribute raskin from September 1," Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said here on Saturday.

She observed the sub-regional division of Bulog here to check the availability of rice stock.

In its report, Bulog revealed that the current stock of raskin is some 1.5 million tons, which is considered adequate.

"When I checked the sub-regional division of Bulog in Lebak, (I found that) raskin was safe, and there was enough to suffice for three months. In addition, farmers will produce more grains during the harvest in September, which means that raskin stock is safe," Parawansa affirmed.

The annual demand for raskin is approximately 2.7 million tons, she added.

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