Ministry of Agriculture Asks Public to Report and Viralise High Food Prices

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono has called on the public to report and viralise high prices of staple goods in markets to the Task Force for Cleaning Up Violations in Food Prices, Security, and Quality. “There’s a phone number for it; report to Mr Amran (Minister of Agriculture), for example. It can be via social media. If you want to viralise it, that’s fine,” he said in a written statement on Wednesday, 18 March 2026. Sudaryono assured that the task force will act swiftly on public reports to investigate and address suspected food items not aligning with the highest retail price (HET) or reference selling price (HAP) at the consumer level. The Gerindra politician likened the task force’s role to that of rangers who identify problems, find solutions, and resolve issues. He stated that the government will impose administrative sanctions up to business licence revocations on perpetrators causing high food prices or suspected of hoarding. In addition to administrative sanctions, Sudaryono said the government is open to criminal investigations if intentional elements and criminal aspects are found. “There are already several examples; violators will be dealt with firmly,” he added. Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Sarwo Edhy stated there are no supply issues for food during this year’s Ramadan, Nyepi, and Eid al-Fitr. “So overall, prices are stable, and stocks are secure,” said Sarwo. Bapanas bases its claim of food stability on developments in volatile food price inflation or food inflation. Monthly food inflation in February 2026 was recorded at 2.50%, contributing 0.41% to overall monthly inflation, and annually at 4.64%. The National Food Agency compared this year’s annual food inflation of 4.64% in February with 5.48% in 2022, which rose to 5.83% during Ramadan 2023, and reached 10.33% during Ramadan 2024.