Amran insists there will be no compromise, will seal food distributors that misbehave
We want everything to be under the HET (Harga Eceran Tertinggi). That is non-negotiable. Some have suggested price increases of only a little, but even a small rise is unacceptable. There must be no more compromise, Amran said after the Coordinating Meeting on Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP) for Broiler Chicken and MinyaKita in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), three price items—broiler chicken, cooking oil and beef—are major contributors to inflation, while prices for chilli have fallen, so care must be taken to prevent excessive drops.
The head of Bapanas, who is also the Minister of Agriculture, emphasised that for beef, all import recommendations amounting to 600,000 head of cattle and 280,000 tonnes of beef since December 2025 have been issued, so there is no reason for price rises due to supply.
He lamented that field checks found price surges at large distributors, including in Bandung, West Java, with price differences reaching tens of thousands of rupiah per kilogram.
“As soon as we check what is happening, one of the places is Bandung; the price rise is at the large distributor, the middlemen. It rose by 23,000 per kilo (from the government-set price). So this is not right,” Amran said.
In light of the findings, Amran asked the special crimes investigation unit (Satgas, Dirkrimsus) under the Indonesian Police (Polri) nationwide, together with the district-level heads of criminal investigation (Kasat Reskrim) across the country, to take firm action against price manipulators, including sealing and licence revocation.
“We request Satgas, Dirkrimsus across Indonesia; if necessary, just seal them. No mercy,” he said.
The consumer-level HET for beef is Rp140,000 per kilogram, under government rules.
Turning to cooking oil, he noted Indonesia, as the world’s largest producer, has no reason for a production shortage, so price increases are attributed to distributors. “Now production is abundant; prices rose a little for cooking oil. We call on producers and large distributors to act against such behaviour; if necessary, even close their shops. And we take responsibility for that,” he said.
For broiler chicken, reports show margins of up to around 30 percent at the intermediary level, so the government aims to bring all prices back under the HET. The HET for broiler chicken is Rp40,000 per kilogram at consumer level.
He stressed that there must be no compromise on price increases of any size, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, which could burden millions.
The government will also ensure massive intervention through stabilisation programmes and SPHP distribution, via mass market operations and SPHP distribution according to regional capability.
“I told Dirkrimsus, and Kasat Reskrim across Indonesia, if there is a violation or deliberate act, take action, prosecute; criminal and civil penalties will be processed,” Amran said.