Government Tackles Food Price Fluctuations Ahead of Idul Fitri

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Food Agency (Bapanas) has confirmed that the government will curb fluctuations in food prices from one week before to one week after Idul Fitri 1447 Hijriah by strengthening supply and distribution stabilisation to safeguard the availability and affordability of food for the public. “We have seen in recent years, during Ramadan, the condition one week before and one week after typically there are fluctuations. So one week before and one week after Eid, the government will anticipate it,” said Sarwo Edhy, the Principal Secretary of Bapanas, when contacted in Jakarta, Saturday. Bapanas predicts a possible fluctuation in staple food prices one week before and one week after Idul Fitri 1447 Hijriah. According to him, this is a recurring trend every year, so the government has anticipated it well in advance with a series of food intervention programmes. Sarwo said the government continues to strive to boost domestic food production as the main anchor. Beyond that, the direct-to-public food intervention programmes are ensured to be carried out on a large scale. “The first thing the government has to guarantee is the fulfilment of domestic production. We see domestic production is still very adequate. Most of our stock of strategic staple foods can be supplied from the hard work of Indonesian farmers themselves,” he said. Bapanas projects national rice availability by the end of April could record a surplus of 17.2 million tonnes. The corn commodity is projected to have a surplus of 4.8 million tonnes. Cooking oil nationwide is recorded as having a surplus of 3.5 million tonnes. Poultry meat also records a surplus of 727 thousand tonnes up to April. Sugar for consumption has a surplus of 595 thousand tonnes. Chicken eggs have a surplus of 349 thousand tonnes. Nine types of food items are fully supplied from domestic production. After confirming domestic food production is adequate, economic stimulus programmes are also rolled out to welcome Ramadan and Idul Fitri this year. One such programme is the rice and cooking oil aid administered through Bapanas’s assignment to Perum Bulog. Sarwo said the government is ready to implement this pro-poor programme. Bapanas has also asked for the support of the Ministry of Home Affairs so that local government apparatus, from provinces to districts/cities down to villages, can help ensure successful distribution. “We have also written to the Ministry of Home Affairs to help monitor this food aid down to the village level. In other words, village-level officials will also monitor the aid to ensure it reaches the right targets,” he said. The rice and cooking oil food aid programme for early 2026 is allocated for February and March. However, because there are budget procedures that Bapanas must undertake, by the end of February the programme’s implementation budget had become available. Bapanas continues to press Bulog to begin distributing the rice and cooking oil assistance programme with a total target of up to 33.244 million beneficiary households (KPM). The programme is a direct directive from President Prabowo Subianto to help low-income households. Meanwhile, the head of Bapanas and Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman affirmed that preparations for the rice and cooking oil aid programme have been completed. “I have already signed for 33.2 million people. This is the President’s order to ease the burden of our fellow citizens in the holy month of Ramadan. Anyway, it’s all been arranged. All the needs of the people should not be left sitting on my desk,” Amran said. With a target of 33.244 million beneficiary households, for the two months to be disbursed at once, Bulog will release rice stocks totalling 664,800 tonnes and cooking oil 132,900 kilolitres. According to Bapanas notes, as of 5 March Bulog managed 3.7 million tonnes of rice and 25 thousand kilolitres of cooking oil.