Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry has deployed food and essential supplies for communities hit by floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Tuesday.

“God willing, part of the aid will depart Jakarta tomorrow morning, with all assistance delivered in stages,” Amran told reporters, adding that the ministry had received goods and cash donations totaling Rp52 billion as of 9:47 a.m. on Dec. 2.

The ministry has collected 505,000 liters of cooking oil, 21.87 tonnes of rice, 15,000 units of medicines, 14,423 packs of diapers, 11,093 boxes of instant noodles, 9,375 boxes of sausages, 10,256 packs of shredded meat, 7.59 tonnes of sugar, 2.19 tonnes of eggs, 923 boxes of milk and 1,875 boxes of bottled water. 

The goods are valued at Rp21.44 billion.Contributions came from ministry partners and staff across various regions. To accelerate distribution, Amran said the ministry will work with the Air Force to airlift aid to hard-hit areas.

The government has also prepared additional reserves of 34,000 tonnes of rice and 6.8 million liters of cooking oil for the three provinces. 

The allocation includes 10,614 tonnes of rice and 1,954 tonnes of cooking oil for Aceh; 16,894 tonnes of rice and 3,108 tonnes of cooking oil for North Sumatra; and 6,795 tonnes of rice and 1,250 tonnes of cooking oil for West Sumatra.

Amran said the rapid deployment is intended to ensure that residents in disaster-struck regions receive urgent support without delay.

Source - https://en.antaranews.com