Rice Prices Rise, Erick Thohir Claims Farmers Are Happy

SOE Minister Erick Thohir (photo: between)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir said farmers were happy with the current regulation of the Highest Retail Price (HET) of rice. The reason is, there is an increase in farmers' income also in the midst of high rice prices at the consumer level.

"Of course, today's (price determination) policy, today's farmers are also HET is quite good, happy. Now, it's like chicken and eggs, farmers are happy but market prices are rising, farmers' market prices have been stepped on," said Erick. Bulog rice price in a modern shopping center in the Klender area, East Jakarta, Monday, February 12.

Furthermore, Erick said that this price is also the dynamics of the market. Erick said, there are times when there is excessive income for farmers. That way, everyone has the opportunity to be more prosperous.

"This is the equilibrium that we are playing, so that everyone can have the opportunity to be more prosperous," he said.

Meanwhile, Head of Badanas Arief Prasetyo Adi conveyed that the price of unhulled rice at the farmer level is currently increasing. That way, there is quite good income to the pockets of the farmers.

"The price of unhulled rice in farmers is high. Now the positive angle is that farmers are currently very happy. If there is a statement, farmers suffer, no. Today farmers are happy because the price of grain and corn is high," he said.

Arief said that this situation did not benefit consumers downstream, but the government also made various efforts. One of them, through the distribution of food aid for the recipient group.

Furthermore, Arief emphasized that the distributed rice food aid responded to real conditions. He also denied that this assistance was a form of politicization.

"We have to balance prices in the community, so food assistance is not politicization," he explained.