The government continues to strive to maintain supply stability and reasonable prices for strategic staple foods ahead of the National Religious Holiday (HBKN) Eid al-Adha on June 17 2024. One of the efforts being made is by analyzing food price conditions nationally, including at the consumer level. The local government also ensures that food prices are safe and stable so that people do not need to worry.
Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas)/National Food Agency (NFA) Arief Prasetyo Adi said that his party regularly analyzes food price conditions. The price data is a collection of a total of 1,503 enumerators throughout Indonesia from producer, consumer to wholesaler levels.
Referring to the national average strategic food price at the consumer level as of 29 May 2024, medium and premium rice commodities in zones 2 and 3 require intervention. This is considering that the recorded price exceeds 5.89 percent to 15.54 percent of the Highest Retail Price (HET). Meanwhile, commodities such as shallots, bulk cooking oil, consumer sugar and medium rice in zone 1 are categorized as having alert status.
The government of course carries out various intervention programs in the market continuously. In June there is Eid al-Adha which usually affects food prices, so the government’s focus is to ensure good and stable supplies and prices.
Arief further said, through Perum Bulog, Bapanas had assigned the implementation of the rice Food Supply and Price Stabilization Program (SPHP) both at the consumer and modern retail levels. As of May 29 2024, the realization of SPHP rice at the consumer level has reached 729 thousand tonnes from the target of 1.2 million tonnes. Meanwhile, the realization of SPHP rice to modern retail has reached 50 thousand tons with the top three distributions being Indomaret, Indogrosir and Alfamart. The government also carries out other intervention programs in the form of the Cheap Food Movement (GPM). GPM is a mainstay instrument for stabilizing national food conditions. In the period January to May 2024, a total of 4,695 GPMs were held in 37 provinces and 410 districts/cities. This will continue to be intensified, especially ahead of HBKN Eid al-Adha.
Regions also have a central role in maintaining price stability ahead of the Idul Adha religious holiday. They use various strategies to maintain food commodity price stability. The Kuningan Regency Government, West Java, is also intensifying the GPM program targeting a number of villages to maintain basic price stability ahead of Eid al-Adha 1445 Hijriah/2024 AD.
Kuningan Regency Regional Secretary (Sekda) Dian Rachmat Yanuar said the GPM Program aims to stabilize food supply and prices. This movement is designed to provide affordable access to food for the community, especially in facing important moments such as Eid al-Adha. This program has started to be implemented, one of which is in Japara Village, Kuningan on June 4 2024. The party also ensures that basic prices for food remain stable ahead of Eid al-Adha.
The GPM program provides cheap food such as rice, meat, various vegetables and others which are purchased by the community. This program really helps the community, because the prices of these various commodities are guaranteed to be below market due to subsidies from the government. Not only does this program help fulfill people’s food needs, this program is an effective strategy for controlling inflation in Kuningan Regency as religious holidays approach.
The Department of Industry and Trade (Disperindag) of Palu City also continues to strive to maintain food price stability in the capital of Central Sulawesi ahead of Eid al-Adha 1445 Hijriah in 2024.
Head of the Palu City Industry and Trade Service, Zulkifli, said that although currently the prices of important basic commodities are still stable, his party is still taking strategic steps to anticipate price spikes. One of them is through cheap market activities targeting two areas, namely Tawaeli Village, Tawaeli District, scheduled for May 13 2024, then continued in Tawanjuka Village, Tatanga District on May 14-15 2024.
Apart from that, the Palu City Department of Industry and Trade also regularly monitors supply availability and prices in traditional markets, to find out the extent of price developments at the trader level. The next step taken is to build cooperation with stakeholders in the food sector, including strengthening coordination with the food task force (Task Force). Zulkifli emphasized that traders and distributors should not make efforts that could affect price stability, one of which is hoarding food. Because, hoarding basic commodities or food is an act that violates the rules, and the sanctions are criminal. Currently, food stocks, especially rice commodities, in Palu City are very adequate, supplies in Bulog’s logistics warehouse have reached 24 thousand tons. Therefore, people do not need to worry because the government guarantees the availability of basic commodities so that they are always met.
Regional government support in maintaining food price stability is positive energy for the government so that efforts to maintain food price stability ahead of the religious holiday Eid al-Adha can be carried out in accordance with policy direction. The government’s efforts to maintain food price stability in various regions should be appreciated.
This is so that the public understands that the government continues to do its best to meet the needs of the wider community. The government continues to be committed to ensuring that people’s needs are met without being disturbed by price fluctuations or market anomalies that may occur ahead of the Eid al-Adha celebration. Therefore, people can calmly welcome Eid al-Adha by carrying out consumption activities in the market like on normal days.
