Task Force: Intensive Monitoring Leads to Lower Food Prices
The Task Force for Price, Safety, and Quality Control of Food has reported that its intensive monitoring activities between February 5th and 25th, 2026, have contributed to a decrease in the prices of several food commodities.
“Between February 5th and 25th, 2026, the Central Task Force recorded 28,270 monitoring activities conducted intensively in various regions throughout Indonesia,” said I Gusti Ketut Astawa, Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization at the National Food Agency (Bapanas) and Chairman of the Task Force, in Jakarta on Thursday.
He explained that, based on reports, during the third week of the period (February 19th-25th, 2026), there were 9,644 monitoring activity reports. This number increased by 154 reports, or 1.62 percent, compared to the previous week, which recorded 9,490 reports. This figure also increased compared to the first week, which recorded 9,138 reports.
The average number of monitoring activities conducted during the third week reached 1,378 reports per day, also an increase compared to the previous week.
In terms of regions, the five provinces with the highest number of monitoring reports during the period of February 5th-25th, 2026, were West Java with 3,578 reports, followed by South Kalimantan with 2,388 reports, Riau with 2,224 reports, Central Java with 2,081 reports, and DKI Jakarta with 1,622 reports.
In terms of business actors, the most monitoring was conducted on traders or retailers, with 18,864 points, modern retail with 4,413 points, and wholesalers or large stores with 2,804 points. Meanwhile, monitoring of distributors, producers, and agents was relatively less.
He said that the monitoring and supervision had a direct impact on the decline in prices of basic necessities.
“Massive monitoring and follow-up in the field have proven to be able to suppress the prices of several major food commodities, such as premium and medium rice in Zones I and II, curly red chilies, broiler eggs, garlic, and broiler chicken meat,” he said.
However, price analysis shows that several commodities are still above the Highest Retail Price (HET) or Reference Selling Price (HAP), including premium rice in Zone III, Minyakita, red onions, garlic in the eastern regions of Indonesia and 3TP (underdeveloped, outermost, and border areas), fresh beef, frozen buffalo meat, red cayenne pepper, and consumer sugar in the eastern regions of Indonesia and 3TP.
Meanwhile, the price of Minyakita cooking oil is still above the HET and the price of red cayenne pepper is above the HAP, although it shows a downward trend at the end of the monitoring period.
The Task Force also found that Minyakita was the commodity most frequently reported by the public through the complaint hotline. In addition, weather factors also affect chili production in the main production areas.
To address these findings, the task force, through Bapanas, has made efforts to stabilize the supply and price of red cayenne pepper by distributing chilies from the main production areas to the Kramat Jati Central Market.
In addition, the task force has also conducted on-site inspections of producers, first-line distributors, second-line distributors, and retailers to ensure that the price of Minyakita is in accordance with the HET of IDR 15,700.
“(The Task Force) will encourage Perum Bulog and state-owned food companies that receive a 35 percent Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) from cooking oil or CPO producers who export to immediately intervene in areas that are still above the HET and will take firm action against any violations,” he said.