Trade Minister Focuses on Strengthening Domestic Consumption to Anticipate Middle East Tensions

We must increase the purchasing power of the people; we must strengthen our domestic economic ecosystem. So everything proceeds as usual. The Trade Minister said this during a visit to review prices and the availability of food at Pasar Terong in Makassar, South Sulawesi on Wednesday. Trade Minister Budi Santoso acknowledged that the ongoing US–Iran conflict could affect the economy, particularly for meeting the needs of export markets. Therefore, it is deemed necessary to take a range of measures so that the impact of the current situation does not unduly influence the domestic economy. We see that our export markets will be somewhat affected, but we will monitor them. We also hope the conflict ends soon, he said. Regarding the inspection at the traditional market today, the minister, accompanied by South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman, said that overall prices and food stocks remain stable. The government is also continuing to ensure that during Ramadan and ahead of Eid al-Fitr, the supply of staple goods is secure and prices are stable.