Premium Rice Prices Are Still Cooking, Trade Minister Zulhas: Next Month Can Go Down

Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan. (Mery Handayani / VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan admitted that the price of premium rice is still expensive in the market. In fact, the price penetrated between Rp. 17,000 to Rp. 18,000 per kilogram (kg).

"Local rice harvests have not yet been harvested. So the price is high because the goods are lacking, right, only planting, usually in January the harvest season, this is the main harvest to be postponed next month and in May," he said at Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta, Thursday, March 14.

However, the man who is familiarly called Zulhas is optimistic that the price of rice could fall next month, following the start of entering the main harvest period.

"Hopefully next month it will have a big harvest, so that next month prices can go down," he said.

Currently, continued Zulhas, local rice from domestic harvests can be found by the market, but there is not much supply yet.

"If you look for local rice, it's not much, but now it's okay. Therefore, the price has not gone up again, but it hasn't gone down yet," he said.

Referring to the National Strategic Food Price Information Center (PIHPS) of Bank Indonesia, the price of super I or premium quality rice reached IDR 17,350 per kg. The price increased by IDR 100 silver from Tuesday, March 12.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs (Menko Perekonomian) Airlangga Hartarto conveyed the development of rice prices ahead of the fasting month or Ramadan. He said, the price of medium and premium rice had begun to move down.

Today before we enter the Holy month of Ramadan, there are several things that need to be updated. First, food prices, medium rice that we monitor Rp14,310 per kg, it decreases slightly. Then premium rice at Rp16,420 per kg," he said at a press conference, Friday, March 8.