Indonesia pushes to abate rising food prices ahead of Ramadan

Vendors sell iftar food during the holy month of Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 12, 2022. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)

"This program offers the Jakarta residents basic food with prices that are much cheaper than the market price. Every day the bazaar can sell up to 65 thousand kilograms of rice," said Head of Jakarta Food Security, Marine and Agriculture Agency, Suharini Eliawati.

by Nurul Fitri Ramadhani

JAKARTA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian authorities, including the local administrations across the country's 38 provinces, are pushing to strengthen food stocks and maintain price stability ahead of Ramadan, Muslim fasting that will kick off in less than a month.

In Indonesia, the one-month Ramadan season always sees elevated demand for food ahead, which triggers an increase in an already drastic surge in prices of food, particularly rice, in the local market.

The country's Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan said Tuesday that the government was currently accelerating the distribution of rice through the Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) programme to public markets and modern retailers. The step aims to anticipate the impact of the increase in premium rice prices in the community due to supply delays.

In the capital city Jakarta, the local administration held a bazaar selling staple food, which included rice, cooking oil, sugar, salt and eggs, at cheap prices.

People walk on the street with the food they bought from the seasonal market specifically for Iftar foods during the month of Ramadan at Bendungan Hilir, Jakarta, Indonesia, April 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Veri Manovri)

"This program offers the Jakarta residents basic food with prices that are much cheaper than the market price. Every day the bazaar can sell up to 65 thousand kilograms of rice," said Head of Jakarta Food Security, Marine and Agriculture Agency (KPKP), Suharini Eliawati, on Wednesday.

President Joko Widodo on Monday ordered all government stakeholders to push efforts to keep prices stable, or at least not getting worse, ahead of the Ramadan month.

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the severest increase was indeed in rice prices, with the average price reaching 15,000 rupiahs (0.95 U.S. dollars) per kilogram as of February, from the normal price of 11,000 rupiahs (0.7 dollars).

Local media reported that in a number of regions in Indonesia, prices of basic ingredients, including raw vegetables, were surging. Garlics, onions, chilis and eggs, the basic ingredients commonly used for almost all Indonesian food, increased up by 5 to 7 percent.

Secretary General of the Indonesian Market Traders Association (IKAPPI) Reynaldi Sarijowan said the rising prices this time was the highest record in the era of President Joko Widodo.

Volunteers prepare Iftar, the fast-breaking meal, at Dharma Bhakti Temple during the holy month of Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)

Esther Sri Astuti, Program Director of think-tank Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), said one of the solutions to address the rising price issues was to execute a food diversification strategy.

"In my opinion, in the meantime, we can seek for other various sources of carbohydrates, not only from rice. It can be from cassava, sorghum. So, the concrete advice is food diversification," Esther said last Friday.■