PRICES OF BASIC NECESSITIES STABLE AHEAD OF LEBARAN

By Andi Abdussalam           Jakarta, July 10 (Antara) -- The prices of basic necessities ahead of the Eid or Lebaran festivities that follow the fasting month are relatively stable, while stocks of essential goods are adequate to meet demand for at least five months.          "The average prices of essential commodities on the national scale are stable," Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel said while inspecting Kramat Jati Wholesale Market in East Jakarta early on Friday.          He believes that the prices of goods in traditional markets may drop. "The prices are stable, but there was a slight increase of about 0.2 percent in the rates of sugar, wheat, both locally-produced and imported soybean, and red cayenne pepper. However, the prices of rice, cooking oil, beef, chicken meat, curly red chili, shallots, and garlic declined," Gobel affirmed at a cabinet meeting on Monday.          According to the minister, these prices could be different from those in other regions because they were average national prices. "So this should not be misunderstood," he explained.            Data from the Directorate General of Internal Trade of the Ministry of Trade showed that stocks of chili at Kramat Jati Wholesale Market declined 5.88 percent to 80 tons per day from 85 tons per day the previous week.          The normal daily stock is 150 to 200 tons per day. The decline in the stock led to a slight increase in the price of chili. However, the reserves of basic necessities are adequate on the whole.          The price of curly red chili rose 12 percent from Rp25,000 per kilogram to Rp28,000 per kilogram. The price of red jumbo chili rose 9.09 percent from Rp22,000 per kilogram to Rp24,000 per kilogram.          However, the costs of shallots and garlic were stable at Rp16,000 and Rp18,000 per kilogram, respectively.          On the national level, the prices witnessed a downward trend as compared to those the previous week. This was reflected in the price of sugar, which dropped 0.88 percent from Rp13,125 per kilogram to Rp13,010 per kilogram; bulk cooking oil, which went from Rp11,260 per liter to Rp11,220 per liter; and wheat, which reduced from Rp8,940 to Rp8,920 per kilogram.          In addition, the prices of other commodities, such as rice, imported soybean, beef, chicken meat, curly red chili, jumbo red chili and cayenne pepper, saw a hike in the range of between 0.05 and 12.09 percent.          During his tour of Kramat Jati Wholesale Market on Friday, Gobel held a dialog with the traders in the market.          He urged the traders to help maintain stability and to avoid capitalizing on the occasion of the fasting month and Lebaran and setting exorbitant prices that could disturb the economy.          "I appealed to traders to avoid increasing the prices to high rates because it would boost the inflation rate," the minister stated.          He also held a dialog with traders of Kramat Jati Wholesale Market on price stability, goods stocks and their plan to visit their hometowns to celebrate Eid.          Furthermore, Anas Sarnil, a trader who sells garlic, told the minister that in the past three months, garlic stock in the market had remained stable.          "Prices rise when stocks fall short. But in the past three months, they have been stable," he affirmed.          As part of efforts to maintain stability in the prices of basic necessities, the government follows trade regulations. These include Presidential Regulation No. 71/2015, which requires the government to control prices, stocks, logistics, exports and imports.          The government also upholds its commitment through coordination among ministries/state institutions, producers and businessmen. To provide access to low-income people, it conducts market operations and launches bazaars.          Also, to narrow price disparities, Minister Gobel affirmed that the Trade Ministry cooperates with the Transportation Ministry and other related ministries, such as the Cooperatives and Small and Medium (UKM) Enterprises Ministry, and state-owned logistics board Bulog.          "Bazaars and market operations help to alleviate Indonesians' burden, particularly for low-income people. The Trade Ministry will continue to monitor the availability of basic necessities and maintain stable prices," Gobel emphasized.          So far, the Trade Ministry, along with regional governments, has launched market operations in 120 locations in 32 provinces. The ministry's target is to cover 216 locations in 34 provinces.      Till July 4, they carried out market operations in as many as 32 provinces, except Papua and North Kalimantan.          At the bazaars and market operations, 636 tons of rice, 914 tons of sugar, six tons of onions, 33.7 tons of chili, and 73 kilograms of meat were sold to some 150 thousand consumers.          Supporting the ministry, Bulog conducted market operations in 20 places in Jakarta on July 3. These were done in two locations in South Jakarta, two in Central Jakarta, nine in East Jakarta, four in West Jakarta, and three in North Jakarta.          In addition, Cooperatives and UKM Minister Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga noted that his ministry has also been organizing bazaars in several regions to help people buy goods at prices within their financial reach.          Puspayoga pointed out that bazaars were a routine activity aimed at alleviating people's burden in the face of the fasting month of Ramadan and the post-Ramadan Lebaran festivities, which is next week.          "People are offered various products at the bazaars at prices far lower than their market prices," he added.          While opening a bazaar in Jakarta on Tuesday, Minister Puspayoga stressed that it was organized to facilitate cooperatives and UKMs to market their products.          "The bazaar has the potential to attract buyers and help small-scale enterprises easily market their products," he stated.          On the occasion, Ahmad Husen, assistant to the minister for external trade of the Cooperative and UKM Ministry, said that the bazaar was organized along with market operations involving 106 small-scale businesses and 20 producers of processed goods.          The prices offered were relatively low because the activities also involved companies committed to distributing products in the framework of their corporate service responsibility.    ***3***(T.A014/INE)EDITED BY INE(H-YH) (T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 10-07-2015 22:29:04