BPS: Food price stability is key to controlling inflation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The head of Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, has stressed the importance of maintaining stable prices for major food commodities, as they represent the largest consumption weights in society and have the potential to drive inflation.

At a Regional Inflation Control Meeting in Jakarta on Monday, Amalia noted that based on the national consumption basket, the commodities with the highest weights are rice, followed by broiler chicken, chicken eggs, shallots, and beef.

According to her, commodities with high consumption weights will have a significant impact on inflation if their prices increase.

“If the weight is high and the price increase is high, this will drive inflation. Therefore, commodities with large consumption weights need to have their prices protected,” she said.

Conversely, price increases in commodities with small consumption weights in society will not have a significant impact on inflation.

Furthermore, Amalia noted that consumption patterns among communities in different regions vary. Nationally, commodities with the highest weights begin with rice, broiler chicken, chicken eggs, shallots, and beef.

However, in some regions, the order may differ. She gave an example that in the Riau Islands, the commodity with the highest consumption weight after rice is broiler chicken, followed by red chilli, and chicken eggs.