The ongoing issue of rice scarcity and soaring prices has drawn renewed attention after the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Arief Prasetyo Adi, urged the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) to recheck national rice production data.
His statement has sparked criticism from a Senior Economist at the Bright Institute through his YouTube channel. The economist argued that Bapanas’ move raises serious concerns about the consistency and credibility of government data.
“How is it possible for a minister-level agency head to question BPS’ official data? If the actual production figure turns out lower than reported, the President’s previous claim of rice surplus could be put into question,” he said.
