<![CDATA[In 2025, Indonesia faces challenges related to slow rice distribution, resulting in shortages of premium rice and significant price increases. The price of premium rice has risen from IDR 68,000 per 5 kg to IDR 90,000–130,000 per 5 kg. Although rice stocks in BULOG warehouses are abundant, suboptimal distribution may hinder food security, increase the risk of rice spoilage, and lead to national economic losses. Based on these issues, this study aims to determine the optimal allocation of rice distribution from supply areas to demand areas based on the shortest distance in order to minimize the total transportation distance. The methods used in this study include the North West Corner (NWC), Vogel Approximation Method (VAM), Least Cost, and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). This research contributes academically by linking transportation optimization approaches with national food distribution policies. Furthermore, the novelty of this study lies in its national-scale coverage across Indonesia and the comparative analysis of four optimization methods within a single framework. The results show that the Vogel method provides the optimal solution, with a total distribution distance of 2,982,335.63 km thousands of tons.]]>
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