Held A Cheap Market In Lampung, Erick Thohir: BUMN Intervention To Balance The Prices Of Basic Materials

SOE Minister Erick Thohir while attending the PTPN Group low-cost market in Lampung. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of SOEs)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) held a low-cost market for the second time in Lampung Province with PTPN Group. This is done to encourage equity and market balance.

The low-cost market activities are centered in the courtyard of the PTPN VII Complex Meeting Building, Lampung, today. The market operation was attended by SOE Minister Erick Thohir, Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi, Bandar Lampung Mayor Eva Dwiana, General Director of Nusantara Plantation Holding Doni P Gandamihardja, and PTPN VII Director Ryanto Wisnuardhy and the management of PTPN VII.

SOE Minister Erick Thohir said the low-cost market operation initiated by the SOE Ministry had been held since the beginning of Ramadan. Erick said, that SOEs do not only function as corporations, but also become a balancer in the Indonesian economy, including for people who need affordable prices.

"Alhamdulillah, I and the Governor and PTPN this may be the second time, we want to help the community's needs to get access to food, such as today cooking oil (migor) and sugar whose prices are below the market price," said Erick, in a written statement issued on Monday. received by VOI, Tuesday, May 10.

In operating the market, said Erick, BUMN provides cooking oil and basic ingredients at affordable prices. The details are 3,000 liters of Nusakita cooking oil at a price of IDR 19,000 per liter, Nusakita sugar at a price of IDR 11,000 per kg, and 250 kg of rice which is sold at a price of IDR 15,000 for 2.5 kg.

Furthermore, Erick market operation is a form of BUMN intervention in maintaining a balance of affordable prices for the community. Of course, said Erick, BUMN cannot be alone, but requires the role of the private sector. The reason, continued Erick, was only four percent of SOE's migrant production and the rest came from the private sector. Meanwhile, for sugar, continued Erick, BUMN production is relatively larger, reaching 45 percent.

"Today (market operations) are still packaged but the only difference is the market price of IDR 6,000, an extraordinary number. If SOEs are only after profit, we do not sell IDR 19,000 but IDR 24,500. For sugar, it is IDR 2,500 cheaper, If we chase profit, we will sell it for 500 silver cheaper," said Erick.

Erick said market operations are clear proof of the synergy between the Ministry of SOEs and local governments who always synergize to intervene when the market is not balanced. According to Erick, the government should not allow the community to not get their maximum food needs.

"We have often done activities like this, for example when the price of masks was expensive, IDR 100,000, we also operated the market for IDR 5,000 through Kimia Farma. For foodstuffs such as cooking oil and sugar, we assigned PTPN to balance the prices that are currently rising," said Eric.

According to Erick, Lampung's economy continues to grow thanks to the infrastructure development by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). "Lampung has great potential to become a center for food production for the needs of the Indonesian people," he explained.