The Mayor of Pekanbaru Guarantees the Availability of Safe Staple Foods Until Eid

PEKANBARU - Acting Mayor of Pekanbaru Muflihun guarantees the availability of rice and sugar and other staple foods in the area is safe until April 2023 or until after Eid after ensuring availability at the Logistics Affairs Agency (Bulog) office.

"After I saw and witnessed the availability at Bulog, rice and sugar are safe for Ramadan 2023 until Eid al-Fitr 2023," said Muflihun in his statement reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 21.

According to Muflihun, ahead of Eid al-Fitr 2023, the issue of rising rice prices is not true, while rice stocks at Bulog are still sufficient until the end of Eid.

He said, for rice stocks in Pekanbaru there are medium and premium types (selected rice). However, the medium type rice is not inferior to the premium one.

"Bulog's rice is white, clean and smells good, that's why residents don't depend on premium rice alone. Occasionally try to consume the medium one so that no rice price is above the highest retail price (HET)," he said.

Muflihun conveyed, based on President Jokowi's mandate, how inflation continued to decrease and even became deflation so that the Pekanbaru City Government held a bazaar to help people meet their basic needs.

In an effort to reduce inflation, the Pekanbaru City Government holds a low-cost market every month and weekly meetings of the Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID).

"We will also empower cooperatives to provide staple goods to meet people's needs. Yesterday we also gathered distributors and today we have to move to find producing districts and cities. Later we will provide transportation assistance through Unexpected Shopping (BTT) so that basic food prices can be stable at Pekanbaru," he said.

He predicts that ahead of Ramadhan and Eid 2023 there will be an increase in the price of basic necessities, however, the Pekanbaru City Government will also try to anticipate this.

"Even if there is an increase, hopefully it won't be too high," said Muflihun.

Head of Bulog Riau-Kepri Regional Division Basirun added that currently the availability of Thai rice in Bulog warehouses is recorded at 818 tons, then on the way from Dumai 1.600 tons and the ship has docked in Dumai 4.800 tons.