Ministry of Trade Actively Monitors Basic Commodity Prices Ahead of Eid al-Fitr

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy Minister of Trade, Dyah Roro Esti, said the ministry is actively monitoring staple-food prices in various regions ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 H.

“Leading up to Eid al-Fitr, or also ahead of Christmas and the New Year, we are usually quite intensive in monitoring prices,” said Deputy Trade Minister Roro in an ANTARA podcast interview in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Roro added that the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) plays a role and collaborates with related agencies, notably the National Food Agency (Bapanas), on stock and price issues ahead of Eid.

Furthermore, Kemendag focuses on several key commodities for the public, including Minyakita cooking oil, which is subject to the highest retail price (HET) ceiling in the market.

“So for Minyakita, we expect the price to be in line with the HET. Our HET is currently Rp15,700, and that is what we must ensure — that stock is secure, supply is available, and prices are stable,” said Roro.

“That is what we are trying to monitor on the ground, and alhamdulillah it remains safe according to our monitoring over the past period,” she added.

The Deputy Minister then noted that they are also forging cooperation with local governments that carry out price monitoring directly. This, he said, is integrated with the Ministry’s Market Monitoring System for Basic Needs (SP2KP) so it can be monitored in real time using digital technology.

“We have a dashboard, so in practice we don’t have to go there physically; we can already know current market conditions, what the prices are, and what is rising, and we are trying to address this by distributing more massively to those areas,” said Roro.

She said that with direct monitoring by the central and local governments and online data integration, it is hoped that if problems arise in the field, they can be resolved promptly.

“So everything is monitored digitally, but physical checks also must be carried out. As the government, we must see field conditions, understand public grievances, and determine how the government can respond to those grievances,” the Deputy Minister said.