Anticipate Crisis 2023, Erick Thohir Calls BUMN Needs Large Funds

JAKARTA The Ministry of SOEs will secure the food supply chain which is estimated to be still disrupted next year.

One of the keys in order to survive the crisis in 2023, Indonesia must be able to maintain the supply change condition or the national food supply chain.

SOE Minister Erick Thohir said that SOEs are ready to become standby buyers (off takers) for basic necessities next year.

However, the condition is that it needs to be accompanied by a clear assignment from the government to the state-owned company implementing the off taker function.

Furthermore, Erick said, the assignment was needed so that leaders in state-owned companies implementing off taker did not hesitate and worry about the alleged violations they were accused of. "Bulog can become a stabilizer (price), where when he takes goods (medium foodstuffs), it turns out that when he has to be expelled, he can't even go out, because the price at the time of purchase is higher than when it will be issued. So it is feared that it will become a state loss. Even though the concept is different," said Erick, Wednesday, December 7.

Need Large Funds

Erick emphasized that the mechanism for implementing the off taker function must be regulated so that there are large funds. Where the funds are stored in the Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara) with low interest rates.

With that fund, said Erick, SOEs implementing the off taker function absorb basic foodstuffs from farmers, whenever, both when prices rise and fall.

"Then later Bulog can become a buyer of basic foodstuffs from farmers decided by the government, for example rice, corn, sugar cane and others. This is part of efforts to secure food supply chains. This is important because the condition of the world supply chain is still disrupted next year," said Erick.

Furthermore, Erick emphasized that the role of SOEs in food security is a form of anticipation to reduce food prices.

The high potential for inflation next year can be caused by two sources, namely the high price of fuel oil (BBM) and soaring food prices.

Therefore, said Erick, SOEs must help other ministries, how to intervene in food needs that go up and down. But it remains with a clear assignment, which is the market orientation and which assignments are not markets.

"One of the mechanisms that is encouraged is how there are large funds placed in Himbara with low interest rates, then ID Food can be assigned as a market, and Bulog as a stabilizer," explained Erick.