Government Affirms Warung Pangan Not a Competitor to KDKMP

The government has assured that the Warung Pangan network, partnered with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the food cluster, and the Village and Sub-district Cooperatives (KDKMP) will not clash, but instead play distinct roles in strengthening the national food distribution ecosystem. At the launch of the ID FOOD Warung Pangan in Tebet Timur Market, Jakarta, on Monday, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Hanif Faisol Nurofiq stated that Warung Pangan, developed by ID FOOD, serves as an instrument for stabilising food prices through existing retail networks. According to Hanif, the existence of Warung Pangan is not intended to compete with other government programmes, including the KDKMP currently being built by the government. “We are not pitting it against other instruments. For instance, the government is currently massively building KDKMP. KDKMP is not being set up to compete with existing businesses, but rather to fill gaps that are still disconnected,” he said. He explained that KDKMP will play a role in supporting the distribution of government-subsidised goods and social assistance programmes to ensure they reach the public at appropriate prices. Meanwhile, Warung Pangan is directed at strengthening the market side through existing retail networks. “ID FOOD has a more organic role, directly entering the market side through these Warung Pangan outlets,” he said. Hanif expressed hope that the Warung Pangan network will continue to grow, handling not only commodities under government programmes but also various food commodities that influence inflation. He stated that the Coordinating Ministry for Food will continue to coordinate the strengthening of Warung Pangan so that the network expands and reaches communities in various regions. The government is also encouraging ID FOOD branches in the regions to act as aggregators, connecting producers or factories with Warung Pangan partners through stockists or warehouses. He assessed that strengthening Warung Pangan is crucial, especially for traditional markets that still face supply challenges. According to him, modern retail has a more structured logistics system, while traditional market traders often struggle to obtain stock for resale. “We understand that prices in traditional markets are very difficult to control, so the presence of Warung Pangan will intervene when prices become unstable,” Hanif said. ID FOOD President Director Ghimoyo stated that there are two major government frameworks for strengthening food distribution: through KDKMP and through food stalls that have developed in communities, including in traditional markets. According to him, KDKMP plays a role in ensuring that subsidised goods can be directly received by the public. Meanwhile, ID FOOD, through Warung Pangan, will strengthen the stabilisation of food prices outside of subsidised commodities by utilising existing partner networks. Warung Pangan is a mobile application developed by PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PPI) in collaboration with the Food Cluster SOEs and other supplier networks. Through the available application, MSMEs can buy and sell food commodities to the public. Currently, the Warung Pangan service has reached 108 cities with 28,438 partners and offers 425 food products.