Zulhas Assures Food Prices Stable and Unaffected by Middle East Conflict

Food Coordination Minister Zulkifli Hasan, commonly known as Zulhas, has assured that food stocks are secure and prices remain controlled ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations. He also confirmed that food prices will not be affected by the situation of conflict in the Middle East.

“Our food stocks are sufficient, and prices are affordable. In fact, in the week or ten days leading up to Eid, prices have actually tended to fall, such as for chillies,” Zulhas told reporters at the PAN Party Central Office in Jakarta on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

Zulhas detailed that chilli prices, which had previously soared, are now declining gradually. Currently, chilli prices in the market are below IDR 100,000 per kilogram.

“Chillies were indeed very expensive, but now from previously IDR 150,000 or IDR 120,000, they are now around IDR 90,000,” he explained.

Besides chillies, the PAN Party chairman also addressed chicken egg prices. Although acknowledging a slight increase, Zulhas guaranteed that prices remain within the reasonable limits set by the government.

“Egg prices have risen slightly, but they remain within the reference price limit. So they are still stable, and although they have increased, they remain within the reference range,” he added.

Unaffected by Middle East Conflict

Zulhas also responded to public concerns about the impact of the Middle East conflict on national food supplies. He stressed that Indonesia’s food stability is not disrupted by the geopolitical situation.

This is because Indonesia does not rely on importing foodstuffs from the Middle East region.

“It is safe even though there is conflict in the Middle East; our food is not affected because we do not import food from the Middle East. We have achieved self-sufficiency in rice, maize, poultry and fish,” he explained.

Zulhas mentioned that only wheat remains sourced from abroad, but not from the Middle East.

“What we import is wheat. Wheat does not come from the Middle East, but from Europe and Canada,” he said.

He urged the public not to worry about the availability of essential commodities in the long term. “Stocks are sufficient for one year,” he added.