JAKARTA - Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi emphasized that there should be no spike in food prices due to distribution bottlenecks or market games ahead of Ramadan and Idulfitri 2026.
"There must be no obstruction of distribution, there must be no price games. BUMD must be present," he said at the High Level Meeting (HLM) of the Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID), the Regional Acceleration and Expansion Team (TP2DD), and the Economic Corridor, Trade, Investment, and Tourism (Keris) Central Java in Semarang, Central Java, Wednesday, February 11 as reported by ANTARA.
He ensured that the control of food prices ahead of Ramadan and Idulfitri 2026 was the main concern for all regional heads in the Central Java region.
According to him, community needs will increase during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, so price control must be carried out from the beginning, especially for strategic commodities such as chili, red onions, rice, and cooking oil.
"Community needs are increasing, so the potential for price increases is also increasing. It must be controlled by the regents and mayors in their respective regions," he said.
He also asked each district/city to install a dashboard (monitor board) of commodity prices in large or parent markets that are regularly updated so that the public can directly monitor price developments.
"The price dashboard must be in the market and continuously updated. Let the public know, be transparent, and there is no price game. That is the responsibility of the local government," he said.
Not to forget, he reminded the production center areas not to experience a shortage of supply due to uncontrolled distribution.
"Don't let the central area even be deficient. Distribution must be guarded," he said.
Apart from controlling inflation, Luthfi emphasized the importance of maintaining agricultural land through the acceleration of the determination of sustainable food agricultural land (LP2B).
"Agricultural land must be maintained. Food production must be increased, agricultural technology must be encouraged," he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Representative of Bank Indonesia (BI) for Central Java Province, Mohamad Noor Nugroho, said that Central Java's inflation in January 2026 was recorded at 2.83 percent on an annual basis (year on year/yoy) with a deflation of 0.35 percent on a monthly basis (month to month/mtm).
"Central Java inflation is still within the target range and relatively stable. January deflation was mainly driven by the food, beverage, and tobacco group as the harvest season entered and demand normalized after Christmas," he said.
However, he reminded that the risk of price increases on the momentum of national religious holidays (HBKN) still needs to be anticipated.
"Historically, commodities such as rice and various chili peppers often contribute to inflation during Ramadan and Idulfitri. Therefore, strengthening supply and smooth distribution is the key," he said.
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