Government taps 27,000 Warung Pangan partners to stabilize prices
Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Hanif Faisol Nurofiq considers the Warung Pangan network an effective solution, leveraging existing trading infrastructure across various regions.
“The Warung Pangan is an important instrument for us to maintain prices,” he remarked at the launch of the ID FOOD Warung Pangan at Tebet Timur Market, Jakarta, on Monday.
Warung Pangan is a mobile application developed by PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PPI) in collaboration with the state-owned food cluster and other supplier networks.
Through the application, available on the Play Store and App Store, MSMEs can buy and sell food commodities to the public.
Currently, Warung Pangan services have reached 108 cities with 28,438 partners and offer 425 food products.
Nurofiq said the government no longer needs to conduct massive market operations through temporary low-cost markets if the existing network can be optimally utilized.
According to him, Warung Pangan plays a crucial role in addressing the limited direct access many traditional markets have to supplies from industries and large distributors.
Therefore, the government is encouraging ID FOOD, as a state-owned food holding company, to expand its Warung Pangan network to maintain price stability for various commodities, including those that contribute to food inflation.
“We hope that Warung Pangan will continue to grow and not only stabilize prices for government-subsidized goods, but also for goods that contribute to inflation. ID FOOD must be able to handle this,” Nurofiq emphasized.
ID FOOD President Director Ghimoyo said strengthening the Warung Pangan network is part of the state-owned food company’s efforts to maintain price stability, particularly through the distribution of various food commodities.
“ID FOOD will ensure price stability for goods other than subsidized goods,” he remarked.
Ghimoyo explained that ID FOOD will strengthen partnerships with food stalls in traditional markets to ensure food supplies are distributed at competitive prices.
Warung Pangan partners will receive a fixed supply price with a commitment to sell to the public at the highest retail price (HET).
Strengthening these partnerships is expected to maintain food availability while having a direct impact on the community through more stable prices, Ghimoyo noted.
Related news: ID FOOD launches digital application to distribute cooking oil
Related news: Indonesia accelerates roadmap toward milk self-sufficiency
Translator: Shofi Ayudiana, Resinta Sulistiyandari