PEOPLE HOPE FOR STABLE COMMODITY PRICES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 28 (Antara) - The people hope the government will be able to control prices of basic necessities and maintain stocks in the current fasting month and ahead of Eid-el-Fitr or Lebaran festivities.          The House Speaker, Bambang Soesatyo, has asked the government to monitor and respond to the price situation in various regions in the run-up to the Lebaran festivities.          "The prices of basic necessities have begun to rise, when people are fasting in the current Ramadan month and preparing to welcome the Lebaran celebrations," Bambang Soesatyo said in a written statement on Sunday.          Soesatyo, who is popularly called Bamsoet, said the government should immediately review the markets, secure stocks and control prices.          "Currently, the prices of basic necessities such as beef, chicken and egg have started to rise," he pointed out.          Prices of shallots, curly peppers, and cayenne peppers had also inched up. The trend should be monitored because during Ramadan and Lebaran public consumption increased, he said.

GOVERNMENT MONITORS BASIC NECESSITIES FOR CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 30 (Antara) - Public spending on basic commodities usually increases during Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, resulting in increase in prices of essential goods and decline in stocks.         In the run-up to the year-end festivities, the government will prioritize 13 provinces in its efforts to maintain price and stock stability of basic commodities. In these provinces, there will be an increase in trade activities during Christmas 2017 and 2018 New Year celebrations.         According to the Special Economic Crime Director of the National Police's (Polri's) Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), Brig. Gen. Agung Setya, the 13 provinces include Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Papua, West Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, and North Sumatra.         The Bareskrim has organized a coordination meeting with a number of ministries and state institutions to discuss the framework of maintaining the price and stability of stocks of basic commodities ahead of the year-end celebrations.

PRICES OF BASIC COMMODITIES RELATIVELY WELL CONTROLLED

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 3 (Antara) - The prices of basic necessities tend to increase in the run up to and during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and its subsequent Eid ul-Fitr or Lebaran festivities.          In its efforts to keep the prices stable, the government, through the state logistics board (Bulog), is launching the Food Price Stabilization Movement across the country.         Hence, the prices of basic commodities, such as rice, bulk cooking oil, onion, garlic, sugar, and chili, are relatively stable. In the context of price fluctuations, the prices of commodities a month to a week before the start of the current fasting month were generally stable as compared to those last year.          According to Economist James Adam of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the prices of basic commodities, such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, fresh and frozen beef, and shallots, are forecast to not increase during Ramadan and Lebaran.          The price stabilization movement, such as the launch of bazaars by Bulog, has had a positive impact on curbing the prices and inflation rate. Bulog is tasked with the on-field implementation of the government's program on price and inflation control.          "In the face of the fasting month and Lebaran, the prices of basic commodities always show an upward trend, yet the government always took anticipatory steps, so that the prices are under control," Adam remarked.

GOVT MONITORING COMMODITY PRICES AHEAD OF RAMADAN

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 13 (Antara) - Two weeks before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan begins later this month, the government has started monitoring basic commodity prices.          Usually, prices of basic commodities shoot up in the runup to the Ramadan fasting month and its subsequent Eid el-Fitr festivities or Lebaran.          Enggartiasto Lukita, Trade Minister, inspected Kramat Jati Wholesale Market in East Jakarta, Friday (May 12), to ensure that the supply and price of basic commodities before the fasting month of Ramadan is sufficient and stable, respectively.          During an official visit, Lukita paid special attention to the supply and price of garlic. In the past month or so, commodity prices have begun to climb, but the government has taken steps to lower them.          "Up to the end of May 2017, 7,672 tons of garlic will be made available, especially in Jakarta, Surabaya and several other big cities, with prices ranging from Rp20 thousand to Rp35 thousand per kilogram (kg)," said Lukita in Jakarta     In Jakarta, the Jakarta Provincial Government has started to take steps to anticipate the spike in food prices and basic necessities ahead of Ramadan and Lebaran.

GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT HOARDING OF BASIC NECESSITIES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 6 (Antara) - The government is making necessary efforts to prevent the hoarding of basic necessities and to control and maintain stable prices of commodities in the face of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan later this May.          With the Ramadan fasting month drawing closer, the government has set up a police food task force and has made it mandatory for distributors of basic commodities to register at the trade ministry to prevent speculators from hoarding essential commodities.          The police food task force has been set up at the national level: National police headquarters, regional/provincial police, and resort/district police levels.         The food task force will continue to monitor the market conditions and attempts to hoard basic commodities by speculators.          The task force has been assigned the main duty of supervising price fluctuations, volume of basic commodities, price hikes, and distribution from producers to consumers.          "We are coordinating with the local governments, notably with regard to trade activities and the state logistics board Bulog," Head of Public Relations of the Jakarta Police Senior Commissioner Argo Yuwono stated in Jakarta on Thursday (May 4).

STOCKS OF BASIC NECESSITIES SECURE AHEAD OF FASTING MONTH

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 17 (Antara) - The government always does its best to secure stocks and stabilize prices of basic commodities ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which this year begins in the fourth week of May.          The public consumption during the fasting month and its subsequent post-fasting Lebaran festivities usually increases significantly. This often leads to shortage of stocks and rise in prices.          To secure stable prices and availability of stocks, the government, in this case the Trade Ministry, has continued to monitor basic commodity stocks in the market since last month.          As far as the government's assessment till the middle of this month, stocks are secure and prices are stable. The government guarantees that this will be maintained until the post-fasting Eid el-Fitr Lebaran festivities.          According to Agriculture Minister Arman Sulaiman, prices and stocks of basic necessities are stable. It is expected that there will be no stock scarcities during the fasting month.          "After conducting field observations, we conclude that stocks and price of rice are secure until the fasting month and the Lebaran festivities," Sulaiman said in press statement in Jakarta on Thursday (April 13).

STOCKS AND PRICES OF BASIC NECESSITIES STABLE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta Dec 26 (Antara) - As the nation gears up for Christmas and New Year holidays, the government has assured people that there are ample stocks of all basic necessities, including rice.     The stocks of rice, the country's staple food and its most important food commodity, are adequate to meet demand until May 2017. The state logistics board (Bulog) has a stock of 1.75 million tons of rice, and traders have another 15-18 million tons. Sugar stocks are also enough to meet demand for the next four months.         "We learn from our observation in the field that stocks and supplies of basic necessities from distributors are stable and smooth. It runs well as the process at ports is smooth," Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said in Jakarta on Friday (Dec 23).         According to the minister, price turmoil usually takes place as a result of three factors, namely transportation problems, speculation by traders, and bad weather.         Distribution is hampered if transportation is not smooth due to measures like imposition of close-open road policy during long holidays such as Christmas and New Year. Such disruptions in transportation cause supply imbalances.

FOOD COMMODITIES ADEQUATE FOR LEBARAN

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 14 (Antara) - The stocks of various essential food commodities, including rice which is a staple food for the Indonesian people, are adequate to meet the people's needs in view of the upcoming Ied Fitr or Lebaran festivities.          The State Logistics Board (Bulog) currently has 2.1 million tons of rice in stock, sufficient to meet people's requirement for the coming seven months. "Bulog has some 2.1 million tons of rice stock. The people's monthly rice requirement is some 300 thousand tons," Bulog Procurement Director Wahyu has stated.       To meet the need for other commodities, the Agriculture Ministry is organizing massive market operations in 4,000 locations throughout Indonesia, aimed at keeping prices of staple foods stable.          "We are carrying out massive market operations in 4,000 locations in Indonesia daily. A short term solution is a massive operation ahead of Ied Fitr Muslim holiday," Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman pointed out while observing the launch of a market operation in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Sunday (June 12).          During the market operation at Pasar Minggu, commodities such as rice, shallots, cooking oil, red chili and sugar were sold. Housewives swarmed the premises of the horticulture office to buy basic necessities being sold at prices below regular market prices.

BULOG UPBEAT ABOUT FOOD STOCKS FOR FASTING MONTH

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 25 (Antara) - State-owned Logistics Board (Bulog) is optimistic that food commodities, such as rice, shallots, beef and other basic necessities, will continue to be available in the market during the month of Ramadan which begins June 6.          In order to keep prices at home stable, the government is likely to import certain commodities. Prices often tend to increase during the fasting month of Ramadan.         "We have assigned a state-owned company to import these commodities in order to keep the prices down, particularly in view of the fasting month and subsequent Eid el-Fitr or Lebaran festivities," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution said after chairing a coordination meeting on food prices in Jakarta on Tuesday.          Bulog, however, was upbeat about its ability to meet the need for foodstuffs during Ramadan and the post-fasting Eid ul-Fitr festivities.          Bulog Procurement Director Wahyu told a coordination meeting at the office of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs that  the rice procured by the board till Monday (May 23) had reached 1.3 million tons.

GOVT SET TO CONTROL BASIC NECESSITIES' PRICES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 6 (Antara) - Prices and stocks of basic necessities, such as rice, cooking oil, garlic, shallots and cayenne pepper are crucial food items during the fasting month of Ramadan and the post fasting or Ied Fitr festivities.          In the face of the fasting month of Ramadan next June, the government has taken measures to maintain stocks of basic necessities and control their prices. In a meeting last month, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) told his ministers that he would check the availability of adequate stocks and prices to ensure these come down.          The president is determined to even sack any officials if they are found deliberately hampering essential commodity stocks and allow prices to soar significantly during the fasting month.          "The president has ordered that ministry officials who hamper efforts to provide adequate food stocks and control prices should be fired," Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said after attending a limited cabinet meeting on preparations to face the fasting month and post fasting Ied Fitr or Lebaran 2016 in Jakarta on April 26.

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.

GOVERNMENT ASSURES NOT TO IMPORT SHALLOTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 25 (Antara) - The government has assured that it will not import shallots as stocks are now adequate and the soaring price has successfully been brought down to normal.          In the run-up to the current fasting month, shallot prices soared to about Rp35 thousand - Rp40 thousand per kilogram (kg) as stocks in the market were declining. This condition caused the government to wait and see whether the country needed to import the commodity.          However, now the government has decided not to import it as the price of the red onion has returned to the normal level at between Rp16 thousand and Rp20 thousand per kilogram (kg).          The price could be brought down after the government launched market operations and after farmers had begun their shallot harvest.          Therefore, the government has decided not to import shallots because the country's shallot grand harvest had been taking place and that has increased the stocks.    "Seeing the production surplus we have decided not to import red onions. We have told the trade minister about this because stocks are adequate," Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said in Nganjuk, East Java Tuesday (June 23).

GOVERNMENT TO CURB BASIC NECESSITIES' PRICE HIKES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 15 (Antara) - The government has assured it will curb price hikes of basic necessities within a range of five to 10 percent in facing the fasting month of Ramadan which will begin at the end of June.         "We will prevent price hikes from exceeding a five to 10 percent increase before we enter the fasting month and the Idul Fitri post-fasting Lebaran holidays," Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi said at the office of the chief economic minister this week.          The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) earlier warned that the government should make preparations for the public's food needs in the fasting month to ensure price hikes would not boost inflation.          "Prices can hike and inflation can increase by about one percent during the Lebaran holidays. So, the price of chicken and eggs, for example, should be maintained from now," Sasmito Hadi Wibowo, a deputy for service and goods statistics affairs of the BPS, said.          All Indonesian Traditional Market Traders Association (APPSI) has also assured that the prices of essential commodities will be increased in stages so that consumers will not be affected too seriously. The rate of the increases will be maintained at a tolerated range.          APPSI Secretary General Ngadiran said on Tuesday that traders in the market had raised prices by about two to five percent due to the increase in the logistics burden suffered by companies who had to spend extra money to support their employees facing the fasting month.

COMMODITY PRICES SHOWING UPWARD TREND

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 18 (ANTARA) - Commodity prices in the country, particularly those of basic necessities, have begun to show a rising trend in the run-up to the fasting month of Ramadan that begins at the end of the week.          Economist of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) Enny Sri Hartati said that this increase was due to certain private businesses which manipulate prices in order to create a condition where the markets are non- competitive.          "There are certain parties who control and decide prices in accordance to their desires. That causes the markets to be non-competitive," said Enny on Tuesday.          Prices of various basic necessities in Jakarta, for example, have continued to increase in the past several days. Traders say prices have been increasing, since the past three weeks.          Anik, one of the traders at Gandaria Market in Central Jakarta, said that the price of chicken had been on the rise since the last three weeks. Almost all food prices are on the rise. A relatively big chicken is usually sold at Rp18,000 each. "Now its price has reached up to Rp35,000 each," Anik said.          There is a steep price increase even for meat. Meat trader Usin said that the beef prices had increased to Rp80,000 per kg from Rp70,000 per kg. "Demand for meat continues to increase even as our stocks continue to be limited,¿ he explained.       The same is true for other commodity prices. Chili was sold between Rp15,000 and Rp16,000 last week, but had increased to Rp20,000, before selling at Rp28,000 per kg on Tuesday.          Traders said that different types of onions like garlic and 'Bombay' onion had seen price increases from Rp12,000 to Rp18,000, and Rp8,000 per kg to Rp11,000 per kg respectively.          Meanwhile, the price of eggs rose from Rp16,000 per kg to rp20,000 per kg. In the meantime, rice price also increased, but ever so slightly. The price of best quality rice increased from Rp7,000 per kg to Rp10,000 per kg.          'Putri Sejati' rice also experienced a price increase of some Rp100 per kg daily. The price of a sack of rice weighing about 25 kg, has now reached Rp25 thousand, increasing by Rp2,500 per kg. It is now being sold at Rp8,200 per kg.         With reference to sugar, trader Ipan said that sugar price also was up from Rp12,000 per kg to Rp13,000 per kg.          Traders said that although prices were now on the rise, the number of consumers buying the commodities did not decline citing regular demand. Still, a number of consumers complained about the price increases.          According to a buyer Budhiarti, the prices of food items had shot up, particularly beef, chicken and chili. She said she used to spend anywhere between Rp50,000 and Rp80,000 when she visited the market to shop for her kitchen needs.         "Now, I have spent Rp100,000, without buying rice. Rice used to be sold at Rp170,000 for 20 kg, but now it sells at Rp195,000 per 20 kg," Budhiarti complained when we met her in a market at Jakarta.          Data at the Ministry of Trade and Industry on July 10, indicated that the national average price of beef was Rp75,332 per kg, of chicken rp27,081 per kg, of egg Rp18,301 per kg, of sugar Rp13,123 per kg and of red chili Rp28,387 per kg. The average increase in the prices of these goods when compared to those from last June is between Rp1000 and Rp3,000 per kg.          According to Indef economist Enny Sri Hartarti, demand during the season increases in the run up to the fasting month and during the post-fasting festivities, locally called "Lebran," and could be seen as being realistic, since consumers would continue to shell out money for basic necessities.         Therefore, Agriculture Minister Suswono urged business players to not make use of this opportunity to overtly raise prices. "We urged business players to alleviate the price burden of consumers by not overly raising prices," the minister said on Tuesday.          He added that if the commodity prices sky-rocket, they would adversely disadvantage the business players left with excessive stocks that remain unsold during this upward trend, which will further lead up to a drastic price drop.          The minister acknowledged that the government faced difficulties in controlling price increases because it had no agency in charge of conducting market operations for basic necessities other than for rice.          The government only has the logistics agency (BULOG) that has authority to conduct market inspections on rice.  "Bulog can launch market operations to stabilize rice prices, but the other necessities such as eggs are left to the market mechanism in order to decide prices," the minister asserted.         Suswono said that during the run-up to the fasting month, prices increased but they would begin to drop after the first week of Ramadan, and would increase yet again during the post-fasting Idul Fitri Lebaran festivities.          Therefore, the minister called on the people to not panic during this upward trend. "Public panic could adversely be taken advantage of by traders to overly raise prices," said the agriculture minister.         He said that the main problem facing the markets was logistics and distribution. The rise in prices was due to the scarcity of food items in circulation. The scarcity would not have taken place if distribution was running well and smoothly.         Therefore, the government is now preparing transportation facilities to streamline the inter-island distribution of commodities, including cattle.         "Now, beef stocks are enough. Stocks of slaughter cows are also adequate because we have a headcount of 150,000 cows that can be supplied if there is a significant price rise," the minister concluded. ***2*** (T.A014/INE/o001) (T.A014/A/KR-BSR/O001) 18-07-2012 14:19:47