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).
The minister made the remarks after he and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita conducted an unscheduled inspection to three traditional markets in Jakarta, namely the Senen Market, the Rawamangun Market, and the Cipinang Rice Wholesale Market.
They made the inspection to check the stocks and prices of basic necessities in the run up to the fasting month.
Sulaiman also visited the Temanggung District, Central Java, to check the commodity prices and stocks there. He said the price of shallots was Rp8 thousand per kilogram at the farmers' level but was sold to the public at a price of between Rp25 thousand to Rp30 thousand per kilogram, thus having a disparity of about 30 percent.
"Therefore, we decided to ask the state logistics board Bulog to absorb the farmers' shallots at a price of Rp15 thousand per kilogram. Thus, farmers would not suffer a loss and are encouraged to conduct shallot replanting," he noted.
Based on the minister's observation, the price of chilies had also dropped significantly. The price of chilies at the Senen Market recorded a drop from Rp100 thousand per kilogram to between Rp40 thousand to Rp60 thousand per kilogram.
"The price of chilies in the market is very good. There is even a market which has sold it at Rp20 thousand per kilogram," Sulaiman remarked.
Eggs were sold at Rp19 thousand per kilogram, going down from the regular price of Rp24 thousand per kilogram.
The Trade Ministry also reported that it has conducted a price monitoring at modern retail markets. It has set the prices of three basic commodities such as sugar, cooking oil, and meat.
The price of cooking oil for a medium-size package is at Rp11 thousand; sugar at Rp12.5thousand per kilogram; and meat at a maximum price of Rp80 thousand per kilogram. These prices are effective in all markets across the country, including the market in Jayapura, Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua.
"These prices are set for all markets to make the commodities purchasable by the people," remarked Lukita.
According to Sulaiman, stocks of basic commodities are secure until the Lebaran day. Stocks of sugar have reached 360 thousand tons, meat has reached 40 thousand tons, and rice has reached 2 million tons to 2.5 million tons.
The price of rice at the Cipinang wholesale market has dropped by Rp500 per kilogram.
"Hence, our rice stock is secure for the fasting month. It is even adequate for a period of 10 months to come," Sulaiman pointed out.
In an effort to maintain stocks, the Trade Ministry has required distributors of basic necessities to report the volume of their stocks. The report must be made periodically once a month through the mechanism of the Integrated Licensing Information System (SIPT).
"The report must be made latest by the 15th of every month through the SIPT mechanism," Minister Lukita stated.
The Trade Ministry regulates the matter through Trade Minister's Regulation No. 20/M-DAG/PER/3/3017 on Registration of Basic Commodity Business Distributors, effective as of April 3, 2017.
On certain conditions, basic commodity business distributors are obliged to provide data and information on the procurement and distribution of basic necessities if requested by the directorate general of home trade of the Trade Ministry.
Certain conditions included the condition of goods during stock distribution and during prices below or above the reference prices. Through the obligation, the government wants to assure that stocks of basic necessities are available in the market.
Basic commodity business distributors who violate the regulation can be given administrative sanctions such the freezing or even lifting of their Business Distribution Registration (TDPUD).
"We guarantee that we will implement the sanctions against negligent basic commodity business distributors," the minister remarked.
In the trade minister's regulation, which was signed in March 2017, the type of basic commodities regulated in the provision included agricultural products such as rice, soybeans as raw material for tempeh (fermented soybean cakes), chilies, and shallots.
It also includes basic commodities produced by the industry such as sugar, cooking oil, wheat flour, as well as husbandry products such as beef, chicken, and eggs.
The Trade Ministry last month decided to continue monitoring the supply and distribution of basic commodities to keep their prices stable.
For the purpose, it held a coordination meeting with heads of provincial trade offices across Indonesia to anticipate a potential rise in the prices of basic commodities.
The coordination meeting discussed ways to identify problems related to the stocks and prices of basic commodities at national and regional levels and the regional governments' preparedness to deal with a shortage of supplies, disruption to the distribution of basic commodities, and speculators.(A014/INE)EDITED BY INE (T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 17-04-2017 20:57: |
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