Disasters in Sumatra Have the Potential to Significantly Disrupt Regional Food Security

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Hydrometeorological disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra have a significant potential to disrupt regional food security. These disasters can also trigger food vulnerability, spikes in staple food prices, and social unrest. Therefore, the government needs to implement specific policies to prevent this.

The Acting Deputy II for Economic and Food Affairs of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Telisa Aulia Falianty, stated this during the Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting in Jakarta, Tuesday (2/12/2025). The meeting was held in a hybrid format by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Telisa stated that the hydrometeorological disaster affecting the regions of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra needs to be a primary concern. This disaster has a significant potential to disrupt food security in these three regions due to crop failures and decreased production.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, approximately 27,000 hectares of rice fields in several areas across the three provinces affected by the disaster were flooded. Approximately 385 hectares of these experienced crop failure (Kompas, December 1, 2025).

According to Telisa, this could impact food insecurity and a surge in the prices of staple food commodities, triggering social unrest. In fact, such social unrest has already occurred in several regions that have experienced delays in food aid.

"The community has resorted to looting warehouses of Perum Bulog and minimarkets. Therefore, there needs to be specific policies to prevent the potential social and economic impacts of the disaster," he stated.

Telisa explained that the mobilization of food logistics and the opening of access roads or distribution that have been hindered need to be expedited. Bulog needs to distribute rice under the Food Supply and Price Stabilization Program (SPHP) to curb the surge in rice prices.

In addition, release the regional government food reserves (CPPD) to increase food supply. If insufficient, reallocate CPPD from nearby areas that are not affected by the disaster to the disaster-affected areas through inter-regional cooperation.

The disaster in Sumatra could lead to food insecurity and spikes in the prices of key food commodities, triggering social unrest.

Telisa also revealed that the KSP team has been deployed to several disaster locations and coordinated with local governments. As a result, the most significant food distribution obstacles are found in West Sumatra, specifically in the districts of Pasaman Barat, Tanah Datar, Agam, Solok Selatan, and Pesisir Selatan.

"The distribution of food supplies in those areas has been delayed due to broken access roads and challenges posed by the mountainous terrain. Therefore, the acceleration of the reconstruction of strategic logistics routes is essential to mobilize food logistics and 118,000 food packages," he stated.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade has also requested distributors and retailers in areas not affected by the disaster to supply foodstuffs to several nearby disaster-affected regions. The Ministry is also currently cataloging traditional markets in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra that have been impacted by the disaster.

Trade Minister Budi Santoso stated that he has coordinated with distributors and retailers in areas not affected by the disaster. They reported that food stock is still sufficient until Christmas 2025 and New Year 2026.

The distributors and retailers have also mobilized some food supplies to the nearby areas affected by the disaster. However, they are also facing distribution challenges due to many roads being impassable.

"Actually, they are also concerned that food supplies in several areas not affected by the disaster in Sumatra will be hindered if the roads impacted by the disaster are not opened or repaired promptly," he stated.

Budi also revealed that the Ministry of Trade is currently cataloging traditional markets affected by disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. The Ministry of Trade, in collaboration with local governments, will monitor and assist in the recovery of these market activities.

"However, if there are markets that are damaged due to disasters, we cannot immediately rebuild them because there is no budget for market construction. However, we will coordinate this with the Ministry of Public Works," he stated.

Bulog and ID Food will receive a DMO quota of 35 percent of the total annual DMO for Minyakita.

In addition, Budi continued, the Ministry of Trade will ensure the availability of Minyakita (a simple packaged cooking oil from the People's Cooking Oil program) in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Currently, the stock of Minyakita in Bulog and ID Food is still sufficient to meet the needs of the community, including in the disaster-affected areas.

Moreover, the supply of Minyakita to Bulog and ID Food is expected to increase significantly ahead of the Christmas 2025 and New Year 2026 celebrations. This is in light of the fact that both state-owned companies will receive a DMO (domestic market obligation) quota of Minyakita amounting to 35 percent of the total annual DMO.

"The process of harmonizing the new regulations has been completed and is now ready to be enacted. It is hoped that the regulations can be implemented 14 days after being enacted, or around mid-December 2025," he said.

The new regulation is a revision or replacement of the Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 18 of 2024 concerning Packaged Palm Oil and the Management of People's Cooking Oil. This new regulation strengthens the role of state-owned enterprises, namely Bulog and ID Food, in the distribution of Minyakita.

In the Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting, Tuesday (2/12/2025), the Secretary of the Directorate General of Domestic Trade at the Ministry of Trade, Bambang Wisnubroto, stated that so far, the supply of Minyakita from the DMO results to Bulog and ID Food has been around 8 percent or 14,262 tons. Through this new regulation, the stock of Minyakita for both state-owned enterprises can reach approximately 63,000 tons or at least 35 percent of the average DMO Minyakita in 2025, which is 178,000 tons.