Applying the Eisenhower Matrix for Inflation Control in Southeast Sulawesi
The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) release for August 2026 recorded an annual inflation rate (year-on-year) for Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra) of 3.35%. Although this remains within the national target range (2.5% ± 1%), it is higher than the national average inflation of 3.19%.
Behind these figures lies a unique and paradoxical phenomenon: inflation in the volatile food group in Southeast Sulawesi is dominated by fresh fish. As an archipelagic region with abundant marine potential, the dependence of Southeast Sulawesi’s inflation on the price dynamics of caught fish warrants special attention.
Through the Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID), the local government faces limited resources to intervene in hundreds of commodities simultaneously. External factors, such as global oil price fluctuations, national energy tariff adjustments (administered prices), and rising international gold prices (core inflation), are beyond local control. Therefore, the TPID requires a scale of priority so that interventions in volatile food commodities, which can be directly influenced by local policy, are precise.
To determine these priorities, we can adapt a popular management framework: the Eisenhower Matrix. This decision-making tool divides actions into four quadrants based on two main variables: urgency and importance.
In the context of inflation control, the ‘importance’ variable is projected through the magnitude of the inflation contribution, while ‘urgency’ is viewed through the level of price volatility (fluctuation). The mapping of volatile food commodities in Southeast Sulawesi for the period of January – August 2026 produced the following quadrant division:
Quadrant I (Urgent & Important): Comprised of fresh fish groups such as scad/benggol, mackerel/sisik, and scad/tude. These commodities have both a high inflation contribution and very high price volatility.
Quadrant II (Important, Less Urgent): Comprised of rice and mackerel. These commodities contribute a high share to inflation, but their price fluctuations are relatively stable and predictable.
Quadrable III (Urgent, Less Important): Comprised of wet shrimp and spinach. These exhibit high price volatility despite their relatively low total contribution to inflation.
Quadrant IV (Less Urgent & Less Important): Comprised of katamba fish, broiler chicken, and apples.
This mapping automatically guides the TPID in determining the appropriate type and duration of targeted handling without wasting the budget.
Firstly, Quadrant I requires a dual recipe (short-term and long-term). The high fluctuation in fresh fish prices indicates weaknesses in the local supply chain, both upstream due to weather/fishing season factors and within distribution channels. In the short term, the TPID can organise Cheap Market Movements (GPM) or transport subsidies. However, for the long term, improvements to infrastructure are essential, such as adding cold storage facilities, processing infrastructure for catches, and improving distribution chain efficiency. It would be an irony if a fish-producing region faltered due to the inflation of fishery commodities.
Secondly, Quadrant II demands supply certainty. For rice, which has relatively low fluctuation but a high inflation contribution, the main focus lies in maintaining availability. Short-term measures can be implemented through the optimisation of Bulog’s Food Supply and Price Stabilisation (SPHP) rice distribution. Medium to long-term steps, such as strengthening Inter-Regional Cooperation (KAD), optimising Government Rice Reserves (CBP), and accelerating SPHP distribution through local distribution kiosks, must be strengthened before the lean season.
Thirdly, Quadrants III and IV require flexible responses. Quadrant III commodities (such as wet shrimp) can be addressed through tactical short-term actions like market monitoring and incidental Cheap Market Movements. Meanwhile, Quadrant IV commodities only require routine monitoring through price surveys without the need for specific budget allocations, unless a sudden price surge occurs.
The Eisenhower Matrix is certainly not a magic tool without weaknesses. Its construction is based on historical data, meaning risk dynamics in the second half of the year could potentially shift the position of commodities within the quadrants. Furthermore, average contribution figures may not fully capture certain seasonal fluctuations, such as the rise in broiler chicken prices during Ramadan and National Religious Holidays (HBKN).
Nevertheless, this approach offers a measurable, data-driven foundation. By identifying that fresh fish and rice are the primary challenges for Southeast Sulawesi currently, the local government can prioritise long-term actions over sporadic short-term measures. Precise inflation control not only protects public purchasing power but also ensures the effectiveness of every rupiah of the regional budget (APBD) spent.