Indonesian authorities are looking overseas to avoid a nationwide shortage of rice. Prices have soared. And millions of poor households are getting by on handouts.

Government officials say the El Nino weather phenomenon has pushed harvest season back from January to April. And droughts last year mean there will be less domestically produced rice coming to market.

The government now plans to import as much as 3.6 million tons from countries including Thailand, Cambodia and Pakistan. Five-hundred thousand tons have already arrived.

The problem has been compounded by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when consumption typically increases.

One man in Jakarta said, "I've been selling rice for decades, and this is the first time the price has reached 15,000 Rupiah per liter."

A food vendor says customers are complaining because their portions are smaller.

Authorities have set a price cap. They're also providing 22 million poor families with 10 kilograms of rice per month through June 2024.