DKI Pemprov Predicts Food Prices Ahead Of Ramadan Rise Up To 5 Percent

JAKARTA - Acting Head (Plt) Head of the Food Security, Maritime Affairs and Agriculture Office Suharini Eliawati predicts that food prices will increase by 5 percent ahead of this year's Ramadan.

"In general, the increase in food prices is between 3 and 5 percent. That is something we are still familiar with because traders will say (price increases) occur once a year," Suharini said in a virtual discussion, Thursday, March 25.

Suharini said that the increase in food prices was motivated by the increase in food needs ahead of the national religious holidays (HKBN). The calculation, from year to year there will be an increase in food demand up to 15 percent during Ramadan.

He continued, the price increase occurred due to limited supply, given the increasing need for 10 types of food. However, Suharini said that residents do not need to worry about food shortages.

"The people of DKI Jakarta do not need to worry because we together with our BUMD food friends always carry out active communication, so that it is stable in the stock of availability and price," said Suharini.

As an illustration, the current rice stock in Jakarta is 305 thousand tons, out of the need for 103 thousand tons. Then, the stock of shallots is 2,665 tonnes of the 2,580 tonne requirement.

Garlic stock is as much as 2,057 tons from the requirement of 1,787 tons. The stock of curly red chilies is 4,640 tons of the need for 3,578 tons. The stock of red bird's eye chilies is 2,665 tonnes of the 2,580 tonne requirement. Beef stock is as much as 14 thousand tons of the need for 5,805 tons.

Chicken meat stock as much as 27,100 of the need for 24,254 tons. Stock of chicken eggs is 22,216 tons from the need of 21,379. Sugar stock is as much as 10 thousand tons of the need for 6,421 tons. The stock of cooking oil is 19 thousand tons of the 17 thousand tons requirement.

Continuing, in food stability efforts, including just before Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr 2021, the Director of Perumda Pasar Jaya, Arief Nasrudin, said that his party continues to expand the food distribution chains in Jakarta, which have started from 2016-2017 until now in order to shorten the chain of food distribution.

To date, there are four Jakgrosir as food stores for market traders and KJP holders. Then there are shops as small "granaries" that have now entered the kelurahan and kecamatan in a fairly significant number.

"These various efforts are to simplify the link between Pasar Jaya and Dharma Jaya, becoming a barometer and the direct role of producers to traders," said Arief.