Ahead of Ramadan-Lebaran, Bapanas Monitors Food Prices and Quality in Papua

JAKARTA - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) has strengthened the stabilization of food supply and prices ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2026, with a focus on maintaining affordability, security, and food quality, especially in Papua.

Director of Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) Bapanas Maino Dwi Hartono emphasized that food control is not enough to maintain stock availability and prices. The aspect of quality and food safety is also a serious concern for the government.

"Food stabilization must be carried out comprehensively. Prices must be affordable, the supply is sufficient, and no less important, the food that reaches the community must meet safety and quality standards," Maino said in an official statement, Wednesday, February 4.

To strengthen supervision, Bapanas formed the Food Clean Sweep Task Force (Satgas Saber) as a continuation of the 2025 Task Force, which was previously focused on controlling rice prices. Entering 2026, the scope of supervision of the Saber Task Force was expanded to almost all strategic food commodities.

"Last year, the main focus was on rice, this year our supervision was expanded to various strategic food commodities. Not only price, but also quality and safety," said Maino.

He explained that food price control refers to regulatory instruments that have been set by the government, ranging from the Government Purchase Price (HPP) at the producer level, the Highest Retail Price (HET) for certain commodities such as rice and Minyakita, to the Sales Reference Price at the producer and consumer levels.

Previously, the Head of the National Food Agency Andi Amran Sulaiman emphasized that the government would not hesitate to take action against violations of prices in the field. He said that food price stability was a direct instruction from the President.

"This is the order of the President. Food prices must be stable until Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are completed. There must be no entrepreneurs throughout Indonesia who sell above HET. If there are still violations, the Food Task Force of the National Police will work and suppress them," said Amran.

The government has set HET for a number of strategic commodities. Minyakita is set at Rp15,700 per liter. Meanwhile, in Papua which is in zone 3, the HET for medium rice is Rp15,500 per kilogram, premium rice Rp15,800 per kilogram, and SPHP rice Rp13,500 per kilogram.

The reference selling price at the consumer level includes red onions at Rp36,500-Rp41,500 per kilogram, curly red chilies at Rp37,000-Rp55,000 per kilogram, red chilies at Rp40,000-Rp57,000 per kilogram, beef at Rp140,000 per kilogram, purebred chicken at Rp40,000 per kilogram, and purebred chicken eggs at Rp30,000 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, the Director of Special Criminal Investigation of the Papua Police, Kombes Pol Rama Samtama Putra, emphasized that the formation of the Saber Task Force was part of the national policy in maintaining food stability.

"Activities to clean up violations of prices cannot be done alone, it requires synergy, communication, and coordination across agencies," he said.

He said that food control in Papua has its own challenges, especially related to distribution and geographical conditions. Therefore, collaboration between agencies is the key to ensuring that the stabilization of food supply and prices can run effectively until Lebaran.