Trade Minister Confirms Staple Food Supply and Prices Remain Under Control

The availability and price stability of staple goods in various regions have been confirmed as sufficient and under control. Minister of Trade Budi Santoso assured that the supply and price stability of basic necessities in various areas, including Banyumas, Central Java, are in a safe and manageable condition. Based on field monitoring, the prices of most strategic commodities are still within the government’s reference price or the highest retail price. “Today we visited Manis Market in Banyumas. Overall, prices are quite good, and the prices of shallots and chillies have even decreased. The government, together with regional administrations, will continue to maintain the supply and price stability of staple goods,” he said at Manis Market, Banyumas, on Thursday. During the visit, the Minister was accompanied by Banyumas Regent Sadewo Tri Lastiono, Head of the Banyumas Industry and Trade Office Gatot Eko Purwadi, Marketing Director of Perum Bulog Rahmanto, and the Ministry of Trade’s Director General of Foreign Trade Tommy Andana. Based on monitoring at Manis Market, the price of medium-grade rice was recorded at Rp13,500 per kilogram, in line with the highest retail price for the Central Java region. Meanwhile, Bulog’s Food Supply and Price Stabilisation rice was sold at Rp12,000 per kilogram, lower than the set HET of Rp12,500 per kilogram. For other commodities, Minyakita cooking oil was sold according to the HET at Rp15,700 per litre, while granulated sugar was sold at Rp17,500 per kilogram, in accordance with the government’s reference price. In the horticulture sector, chilli prices were also observed to be relatively stable. Curly red chillies were sold at Rp45,000 per kilogram, large red chillies at Rp50,000 per kilogram, and bird’s eye chillies ranged from Rp50,000 to Rp55,000 per kilogram. Minister Budi Santoso stated that the government strives to maintain a price balance that is profitable for producers, such as farmers and breeders, yet remains affordable for consumers. “The HET and reference price are a meeting point between the interests of producers and buyers. If prices are too low, breeders suffer losses. Conversely, if prices are too high, consumers are burdened. Therefore, the government is working to maintain this balance,” he said. The Minister also highlighted that the prices of broiler eggs and broiler chicken meat are currently below the reference price. At Manis Market, the price of broiler eggs was recorded at around Rp25,000 to Rp26,000 per kilogram, while broiler chicken meat was in the range of Rp35,000 to Rp36,000 per kilogram. To maintain price stability at the producer level, the government has coordinated with various parties to increase the absorption of livestock products. In addition to conducting direct field monitoring, the Ministry of Trade also continuously monitors the development of staple goods prices through the Market and Basic Needs Monitoring System. This system involves around 550 contributors spread across 514 districts and cities in Indonesia to report price developments daily. “Data from SP2KP serves as the basis for the government in taking price stabilisation measures and maintaining supply availability in the regions,” he said. Meanwhile, a staple goods trader at Manis Market, Tyas, said that trading activities were still running normally despite price fluctuations for some commodities. She confirmed that the supply of Minyakita at her shop was safe and faced no distribution obstacles. The product is supplied periodically by Bulog and sold according to the HET of Rp15,700 per litre.