Drafting Food Stock Shortage In The Dry Season, Bengkulu Provincial Government Collaborates With West Sumatra

BENGKULU - Bengkulu Provincial Government (Pemprov) cooperates with a number of areas including West Sumatra (West Sumatra) to anticipate the impact of the dry season, which is predicted to occur in July 2023.

Head of the Bengkulu Provincial Industry and Trade Office, Yenita Syaiful, said the weather prediction came from the BMKG. "If there are indeed many commodities in Bengkulu, and other provinces are lacking or vice versa, there will be cooperation between provinces, if the cooperation agreement already exists with West Sumatra, only the implementation will be left if the food stock is lacking," he said in Bengkulu, Wednesday, May 31. He said, the regions will continue to monitor, be aware of the reduced condition of stocks and the increase in the price of basic commodities in the market. "If there is a natural disaster or extreme weather, it will certainly be very influential on agriculture, as well as dryness. Agriculture plants, especially those related to inflation in Bengkulu such as red onions, chilies and rice, it certainly needs to be monitored," he said. Previously, Bengkulu Governor Rohidin Mersyah said the Bengkulu Provincial Government had prepared to face the dry impact on the availability of food commodities. One of them, he said, by ensuring the adequacy of regional rice stocks with Bulog, for the future 6 months's supply. Likewise, said Rohidin, for the availability of other basic commodities.

The Central Statistics Agency of Bengkulu Province said that in April 2023 it was still well controlled and the figure was below the national level. "From the portrait conducted by BPS in April inflation of 0.28 percent, when compared to the national where inflation was 0.33 percent, this figure is still lower than the national one," said Head of BPS Bengkulu Province Win Rizal. Then, he continued, when compared to the same month in 2022, inflation this time was also much lower. Inflation in April 2022 was recorded at 1.45 percent (mtm). This shows the availability of basic commodities in the market meets the needs of the people, which even in April 2023 should have increased public consumption because it coincided with Ramadhan and Eid Al-Fitr 2023. However, at that time, he said, a number of basic commodities actually experienced deflation, for example red chilies had an inflation rate of minus 0.24 percent, chicken meat was minus 0.25 percent, cooking oil was minus 0.07 percent. However, rice commodities in April experienced inflation, but were still in good condition. Rice experienced inflation 0.37 percent.