Jakarta (ANTARA) – Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan announced a three-month extension to a food aid program, offering 10 kilograms of rice each for 33.244 million residents monthly to maintain people's purchasing power.He noted that the decision followed President Prabowo Subianto's directive to mount efforts aimed at keeping staple commodity prices stable ahead of the dry season and in anticipation of possible impacts from global price fluctuations.”Against that backdrop, we decided to extend the rice or food aid program by three months,” Hasan told the media after a coordination meeting on food commodity prices in Jakarta on Tuesday.The minister highlighted that the plan is to directly distribute 10 kilograms of rice to each of the targeted recipients across the country, beginning in July 2026.He added that the Ministry of Agriculture would determine the next two months of distribution alongside state logistics company Bulog.Furthermore, Hasan emphasized that the government currently holds 5.2 million tonnes of rice reserves, reflecting a sufficient supply for the one million tonnes required for the expanded food aid program.He asserted that prolonging the distribution period is necessary to shield economically vulnerable citizens from financial pressures, including the effects of the weakening of the rupiah's exchange rate against the US dollar.The Ministry of National Development Planning will be involved in the budgeting process, while program implementation will be assigned to the Ministry of Social Affairs, he added.Hasan further stressed that reports from on-site reviews conducted by various ministries and agencies indicate sufficient food supplies, underscoring strong national food security.He also reiterated that the rice assistance program is intended as a safety net for residents vulnerable to food price volatility.