Bulog Ready to Boost Staple Food Aid for Earthquake-Affected Areas in NTT

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Perum Bulog, the state-owned enterprise responsible for food logistics and staple goods distribution, has assured that food supplies in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) remain secure amid emergency response efforts following the recent earthquakes.

Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani said the agency is continuously monitoring food needs in affected areas. “Current stocks are secure. NTT has between 35,000 and 37,000 tons. If there is a shortage later, we will provide additional supplies,” Rizal said in an official statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

To ensure food availability, Bulog has instructed its regional offices to prepare emergency stocks. Each regency and city must maintain a minimum reserve of 20 tons of rice during the emergency response period.

Rizal added that Bulog is also preparing cooking oil to support community needs and public kitchens in affected areas. Each region has been allocated 1,000 liters of MinyaKita, the government‑subsidized cooking oil, as part of food logistics preparedness.

“An additional 1,000 liters of MinyaKita is also being provided for each regency and city,” he said. Bulog is not relying solely on existing stocks within NTT. If demand increases due to evolving conditions, Bulog will bring in additional supplies from nearby regions such as West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and South Sulawesi.

He emphasized that Bulog’s regional teams are actively supporting disaster response operations, ensuring that aid distribution meets communities’ staple food needs. Adequate food reserves, he said, will help the government respond more quickly to the earthquake’s impacts and support NTT’s gradual recovery.

The government is accelerating aid delivery to earthquake‑stricken areas in NTT via air and sea routes. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that 101.5 tons of supplies were sent to affected regions between August 15 and 17, 2026.

The National Logistics Support Post (PPN) at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta is coordinating distribution with the BNPB, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), government agencies, and humanitarian partners.

“Coordination was conducted to ensure that logistical support and air transport could be deployed rapidly, in line with the needs of communities in the affected areas,” said Acting Head of the BNPB Center for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication, Berton Panjaitan, in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Heavy transport aircraft are delivering emergency supplies to several earthquake-affected locations in NTT.

On Monday, BNPB recorded three flights carrying a total of 40,567 kilograms of supplies. The flights were bound for Labuan Bajo and Maumere before returning to Halim Perdanakusuma.

The first flight used a Hercules A‑1328 aircraft on the Halim Perdanakusuma–Labuan Bajo–Halim Perdanakusuma route. It transported 13,504 kilograms of aid, including 3,019 kilograms of basic food packages from the Presidential Military Secretariat and two field hospital tent units weighing 10,485 kilograms from the Health Crisis Center.

A subsequent shipment was carried out using a Hercules A‑1344 aircraft bound for Maumere. (Misni Parjiati)