Rice Prices Still High, Minister Of Agriculture Continues To Boost Massive Market Operations

The government ensures that large-scale market operations continue to be carried out to reduce rice prices, both medium and premium, which are still high in a number of areas.

Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Andi Amran Sulaiman said that the government had prepared 1.3 million tons of rice to stabilize rice prices in the market.

"We are working on market operations. We will continue to operate on a large-scale market. We have prepared 1.3 million tons of large-scale market operations," Amran said after attending a working meeting with Commission IV of the DPR RI, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 3.

Amran said this program was carried out through the Stabilization of Supply and Food Prices (SPHP) managed by Perum Bulog. Not only medium rice, the government also asked Bulog to increase the volume of premium rice sales.

"(The distribution of rice) is SPHP and we also ask for premium ones. Well, we also invited Bulog to sell premium ones yesterday. They have also sold them. But we ask for the quantum to be increased. The most important thing is that we operate a large-scale market," he continued.

According to him, market operations have been going on for some time. So far, more than 4,000 operating points have been held throughout Indonesia, covering 7,282 sub-districts.

"Yesterday we had 4,000 points throughout Indonesia, 7,282 sub-districts, so thank God this has decreased prices. But we want it to be even lower," said Amran.

Previously, the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian said that the number of regions whose rice prices fell from 51 to 58 regencies/cities. He conveyed this in the Inflation Control Coordination Meeting which took place on Tuesday, September 2.

According to him, this is a good signal from the food stabilization intervention program that the government continues to encourage. However, the rice intervention program will be intensified in districts/cities that are still experiencing an increase in rice prices.

"Even so, there are still 214 regencies/cities whose rice prices are above the government's reference price. This week we will focus on these areas with joint steps involving the National Food Agency, Bulog, and the Ministry of Agriculture," said Tito.