Bulog halts five rice distribution partners in Jakarta and forms joint enforcement task force
The logistics agency is verifying around 370 complaints as it cracks down on repackaging of subsidized rice, with the food ministry flagging partner channels as the largest SPHP distribution route.
State logistics agency Bulog has halted five rice retail partner (RPK) outlets in Jakarta with immediate effect over violations in distributing subsidized rice (SPHP), president director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani said on Monday. Licences of partners proven to cheat the scheme will be revoked. A joint Rice Supervision Task Force combining Bulog's internal enforcement unit with the national food task force is now following up reports, and the agency is manually verifying around 370 complaints, mostly over repackaging of subsidized rice as premium brands.
The food ministry added structural context: RPK partners are the largest SPHP channel, carrying 23.42% of the first 828,000-tonne assignment and 29.78% of the additional allocation as of 5 November. Deputy minister Hermawan has suggested diversion through partners is one reason rice prices stayed high despite full first-assignment realization. The enforcement campaign creates a measurable, recurring oversight workload — hundreds of complaints plus thousands of partner inspections per day — that the agency must sustain through Ramadan 2027, on top of parallel programmes to certify 1,800 rice mills and grade thousands of subsidised-meal kitchens.