Jakarta, June 9 -- The Indonesian government has decided to provide a soybean subsidy of Rp2,000 per kilogram, mobilizing state logistics company Bulog to roll out the program to shield domestic prices from the effects of rupiah depreciation.

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan unveiled the policy in Jakarta on Tuesday, noting that it would cover 250,000 tonnes of soybeans in the initial stage of implementation.

Speaking after a coordination meeting on food prices, he pointed out that the subsidy is primarily intended as a buffer for the domestic market in anticipation of adverse impacts from the weakening rupiah, given that Indonesia heavily relies on imports for soybeans.

Hasan added the subsidy is expected to help ...