Prices Are Expensive, Erick Says It Will Be 250.000 Tons Of Rice For Market Operations

SOE Minister Erick Thohir (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir said the government is trying to reduce rice prices in the market. One of them is by pouring government rice reserves through the market operation program or Stabilization of Food Supply and Prices (SPHP) as much as 250,000 tons to the market.

Erick said, with the disbursement of rice market operations, this step could increase the supply to meet the public's demand. Erick said this effort had also been approved by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

Furthermore, Erick said, the plan had also been coordinated together with the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi and the President Director of Bulog Bayu Krisnamurthi.

"In these times we have to intervene, Mr. Bayu and Mr. Arief had a meeting with the President, the President checked directly at several points, and we also always report at several points every day because that policy was taken," he said while reviewing the price of Bulog rice at modern shopping centers in the Klender area, East Jakarta, Monday, February 12.

"We will disburse another 250,000 (tons) of SPHP rice so that earlier, unrest, it doesn't happen," he continued.

Erick said the government's rice reserves are currently in sufficient condition, namely 1.2 million tons. He said this amount does not include the procurement of imports of as much as 500,000 tons which will be included in the near future.

Furthermore, Erick said that this stock will be used to control rice prices in the market before rice stocks will be flooded again from domestic production.

"But the government has confirmed that we have disbursed 250.000," he explained.