Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Indonesian government is cooperating with
related ministries and institutions to strengthen coordination to
overcome instability in the prices of basic necessities, such as beef
and shallots, in the run-up to the fasting month of Ramadan.
State-owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, Agriculture
Minister Amran Sulaiman, Trade Minister Thomas P. Lembong, and President
Director of state-owned PT Berdikari Suwhono took part in the
coordination meeting held on Monday.
After attending the meeting, the three ministers were reluctant to
speak to the press regarding the agenda of their meeting.
Minister Sulaiman revealed that the coordination meeting focused on production, distribution lines, and prices.
Earlier, it was reported that Minister Rini had ordered state-owned
logistics board (Bulog) and state company Berdikari to import beef and
shallots to bring the prices of the two commodities under control.
"We have ordered the two state-owned companies to control the
prices, particularly those of shallots and beef, following the
presidents instruction to state companies to lower the prices of various
commodities in the face of the fasting month and the post-fasting Eid
el-Fitr or Lebaran festivities," noted Rini.
Based on the directives issued by President Joko Widodo, the prices
of shallots should be at Rp25 thousand per kilogram (kg) and beef, at
Rp80 thousand per kg.
"Prices can be lowered to those levels through synergy between the
two state companies to temporarily import the commodities as domestic
stocks are not adequate," Rini explained.
The House of Representatives (DPR) has called on the government to
stabilize commodity prices in the face of the fasting month of Ramadan.
"I hope that price instability would not occur in the coming fasting
month. The presidents aides should work together to prevent this,"
Herman Khaeron, deputy chairman of Commission IV on food affairs of the
DPR, stated on Sunday.
Khaeron affirmed that the presidents aides should be on the same
page while issuing policies regarding food commodities, so that it would
not disadvantage the people.
Herman made the remarks in response to the governments plan to
import shallots and the controversies concerning the plan of the
presidents aides to import the commodities.
Antara observed that since last April, the prices of several basic
necessities had increased in almost all regions, including North
Maluku, West Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, East Kalimantan, and Banten.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution announced
after chairing a coordination meeting on food prices here on Tuesday
that the government may import food commodities to stabilize their
prices before the start of the fasting month on June 6.
"We have assigned a state-owned company to import these products, so
that their prices can be kept down, particularly in view of the fasting
month and the subsequent Lebaran festivity," he informed.
He noted that while the prices of several food commodities,
including beef and onions, were increasing, the prices of rice and red
chilies were declining since it was the harvest season.
The government is keen to import food commodities to prevent their
prices from skyrocketing and to avoid scarcity, something that may lead
to public unrest, he pointed out.
The coordination meeting assigned the Trade Ministry and Bulog to
take various steps to stabilize the prices of food commodities. (WDY)
Indonesian Ministers Coordinate to Overcome Price Instability
Senin, 30 Mei 2016 20:31 WIB