Govt to sell more sugar in Jakarta

JAKARTA: The government will increase the frequency of market operations for the sale of cheap sugar in Jakarta from once a week to three times a week in a bid to suppress rising sugar prices.

"We will increase the frequency of sugar market operations in order to keep prices at the level of Rp 5,500 (about US$0.55) a kilogram," Minister of Trade Mari Pangestu said as quoted by Antara on Friday.

The price of sugar in Jakarta has seen an increase from the government's set price of Rp 5,500 to about Rp 6,500 a kilogram recently.

To ensure that sugar prices remain at the stipulated price, the government together with PT Perkebunan Nusantara, PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI) and the private sector agreed to set aside 250,000 tons of sugar for market operations.

Mari said that her ministry was still determining the locations and schedule for the market operation where people could obtain cheap sugar.

The Ministry of Trade has stipulated that PT RNI, Sugar Group and Gunung Madu Plantations are responsible for organizing sugar market operations in Jakarta. --JP