To Prevent Inflation, Minister of Home Affairs Urges Local Governments to Watch Chicken and Rice Prices
The Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, has requested that local governments remain vigilant regarding the price increases of several food commodities that could potentially drive national inflation. The three commodities of concern are broiler chicken, chicken eggs, and rice.
Tito stated that although national inflation remains at a relatively controlled level of 3.19 per cent, the figure shows an upward trend from the previous 2.88 per cent. On a monthly basis, inflation from July to August 2026 also increased by 0.21 per cent.
He noted that this increase is primarily influenced by the food, beverage, and tobacco group, as well as education and personal care sectors. Within the food group, the government needs to closely monitor the price movements of broiler chicken, chicken eggs, and rice.
“Bulog could perhaps conduct market operations alongside the National Food Agency, and we must bring together distributors and producers… to identify the reasons behind these price hikes,” Tito said in a statement on Monday (14/9/2026).
These remarks were made during the Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting, held alongside discussions on the verification and validation of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives and the signing of a Joint Decree for the Indonesia Shared Space (RBI) for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection at the Sasana Bhakti Praja Building, Ministry of Home Affairs Headquarters, Jakarta.
In addition to food, Tito called for vigilance regarding rising global oil prices, which could impact transportation costs, particularly for air travel. He also reminded the Ministry of Transportation to anticipate the impact of rising avtur (aviation fuel) prices on government-regulated transport tariffs.
On this occasion, Tito also highlighted inflation disparities between regions. He requested that local governments experiencing high inflation immediately strengthen coordination through their Regional Inflation Control Teams (TPID). He also expressed appreciation for regions that have successfully maintained price stability to keep inflation under control.
“I would like to thank [the regions] that are able to maintain control,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Tomsi Tohir, emphasised the importance of anticipatory measures to ensure that the price increases of several commodities can be controlled. He urged local governments and relevant parties to understand public consumption patterns and monitor price developments before they reach tolerance limits, allowing for faster intervention.
“This is what needs to be closely monitored and observed—at what tolerance limit prices rise so that we can implement interventions, ensuring we do not wait for prices to spike high before acting,” he stated.
Tohir also requested that the monitoring of chicken prices be conducted across every stage of the distribution chain, from farmers and distributors to consumers, to ensure that control measures are precisely targeted. Furthermore, he requested that other commodities driving inflation be continuously monitored and their prices controlled.