Highlights Rising Food Prices In The Midst Of A Pandemic, PAN: Weak Purchasing Power, People Are Vulnerable To Falling Poor

Illustration - Vegetable traders at the Big Market in Madiun City, East Java. (Photo: Louis Rika/Antara)

JAKARTA - Member of the House of Representatives from the PAN faction Guspardi Gaus highlighted the tendency of basic prices to continue to increase from late 2021 to early 2022. According to him, this increase in staple food prices is clearly a burden on the community, especially when the economic condition of the residents is still depressed during the pandemic.

Guspardi assessed that the increase in the price of basic commodities in the market would weaken people's purchasing power. Not to mention, they must be burdened with high living costs so they are vulnerable to poverty. "The effect of rising prices for basic commodities will weaken people's purchasing power and can make people vulnerable to falling below the poverty line," said Guspardi to reporters, Thursday, January 6.

According to Guspardi, based on complaints and complaints from the public as well as direct monitoring in the field, almost all types of commodities continue to creep up. Severe increases occurred in the prices of chili, chicken eggs, meat and cooking oil. On January 4, 2022, the average price of branded packaged cooking oil was IDR 20,700 per kg, chicken eggs at IDR 30,300 per kg, fresh purebred chicken meat at IDR 38,350 per kg, sugar IDR 12,750 and red chili peppers IDR 96,400 per kg. kg. "In addition, the price of LPG has also increased," he said.

The legislator from West Sumatra said that the soaring price of some basic needs will certainly cause unrest for the community. Moreover, at this time the economic condition of the community is not yet stable in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, said Guspardi, the presence of the government is very much needed to control the price. State intervention is also very much needed. "Bulog and the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia must collaborate on price intervention in collaboration with regional heads to carry out market operations as soon as possible. Furthermore, they also map out the people most affected by the price increase," he said. "If market operations by the regional government or the Ministry of Trade have not been effective in stabilizing price increases, then other policy makers, such as the police to the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) also need to step in to monitor and trace allegations of hoarding and cartelization of food ingredients," continued the DPR Baleg member. The member of Commission II of the DPR hopes that the Government will instruct the Industry and Trade Department in all regions to carry out inspections to traditional markets and distributors, as well as to check stocks of basic commodities. The stock of basic commodities must also be maintained. Then, he added, it is also necessary to map the residents who are most affected by the price increase. "However, the government must be able to maintain the stability of the price of goods so as not to burden the community's economic condition, because this phenomenon is always repeated and requires comprehensive settlement efforts. Especially until the community's economic condition has not recovered due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Guspardi.