Food Coordinating Minister: Government Ready to Provide Subsidies if Imported Food Prices Exceed HET
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) stated that the government is prepared to provide subsidies if prices of still-imported food items such as soybeans exceed the highest retail price (HET) amid the weakening exchange rate of the rupiah.
“We will safeguard it; if the price exceeds the HET, the government will certainly step in to provide subsidies,” Zulhas said after inspecting food prices and supplies at Palmerah Market, Jakarta, on Wednesday.
The statement was made in response to the potential impact of the rupiah’s weakening trend on prices of several imported food commodities, including soybeans.
Previously, the rupiah exchange rate closed weaker by 36 points or 0.21 percent at Rp17,532 per US dollar on Tuesday (12/5) from Rp17,496 per US dollar previously.
Meanwhile, based on data from the Market and Essential Needs Monitoring System (SP2KP) of the Ministry of Trade as of 12 May 2026, the national average price for imported soybeans was recorded at Rp13,607 per kilogram, up 0.19 percent from the previous day.
According to Zulhas, interventions can be carried out through subsidies for distribution costs or price stabilisation assistance to ensure the public is not burdened by the price increases.
“Both the central government, provincial governments, and district governments have budgets for unforeseen expenditures and for that purpose. So it will be subsidised, whether the costs or the prices,” he said.
He urged local governments to act quickly if price increases occur in their respective regions.
He assessed that accelerating responses is important so that if price fluctuations occur, the increases do not excessively burden the public.
“If it’s slow, the housewives will go on strike and we’ll be in trouble. So it must be quick. I invite regents and governors to act quickly if there are problems in their areas. We respond quickly together,” he said.
According to him, the central government can also intervene through coordination with various parties, including Perum Bulog, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), and transportation subsidies for food distribution.
“The central issues like (coordination with) Bulog we handle, BGN we handle, Ministry of Transportation we handle, state budget we handle,” he said.
During the inspection at Palmerah Market, Zulhas stated that the national food supply conditions are generally still safe, including rice, eggs, chicken, and chillies.