Trade Minister Zulhas Reveals Reasons For The Increased Premium Rice HET

Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan (center). (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan revealed the reason why the government is temporarily increasing the highest retail price (HET) for premium rice. He said, the current price of rice is in line with the increase in the price of unhulled rice.

Therefore, he continued, the government issued a policy of relaxing HET of IDR 1,000 per kilogram (kg). This relaxation applies to modern retail so that modern retail can supply stock to the community.

For your information, some modern retailers choose not to provide premium rice because the capital price is approaching HET, so entrepreneurs do not get a profit from the sale of the rice.

"It's high (rice price), so the HET price, for example 5 kg Rp. 70,000, means how much? Rp. 14,000 is the HET (per kg). In the market, there are already Rp. 17,000, Rp. 18,000. This is a relaxation of Rp. 1,000," he said at Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta, Thursday, March 14.

Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, said that the price of premium rice which reached Rp. 16,000 to Rp. 17,000 per kg had dropped from the position of Rp. 18,000 per kg. However, he admitted that the price had not dropped again.

Furthermore, Zulhas said the price of premium rice has not decreased because the supply of local rice has not yet been abundant. This condition is due to the lack of a main harvest.

"In the apsar it is IDR 16,000 to IDR 17,000, local rice has not decreased because it has not been harvested, if corn is already," he said.

Previously reported, the Head of NFA Arief Prasetyo Adi explained that the temporary implementation of the premium rice HET relaxation was implemented to maintain supply stability and premium rice prices at the consumer level.

"Of course, after we pay close attention to the condition of availability, supply, and price of premium rice in traditional and modern retail markets, there is a need for an effort to continue to maintain supply stability and premium rice prices at the consumer level through the relaxation of HET premium rice," explained Arief.

Arief said that the relaxation of the premium rice HET is temporary for 2 weeks. After the final limit is set, the price of premium rice will again follow the HET in accordance with the Regulation of the National Food Agency (Perbadan) Number 7 of 2023.

"Later in the fourth week, we believe the supply and availability of rice will increase with the rice harvest," he said.

The premium rice HET relaxation currently targets eight zones. HET is adjusted to a difference of more than Rp1,000 per kg compared to the previous HET.

In Java, Lampung, and South Sumatra, the premium rice HET relaxation was applied to Rp14,900 per kg from the previous HET at Rp13,900 per kg.

Then the areas of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Riau, Riau Islands, Jambi, and Bangka Belitung Islands, the premium rice HET relaxation was enforced at IDR 15,400 per kg from the previous HET of IDR 14,400 per kg.

For the Bali and Nusa Tenggara regions, the relaxation of the premium rice HET is at Rp. 15,400 per kg from the previous HET of Rp. 14,400 per kg.

This also applies in the East Nusa Tenggara region with a premium HET relaxation of Rp. 15,400 per kg from the previous HET of Rp. 14,400 per kg.

Meanwhile, for the Sulawesi region, the relaxation of the premium rice HET was Rp. 14,900 per kg from the previous HET of Rp. 13,900 per kg.

For the Kalimantan region, the relaxation of the premium rice HET was Rp. 15,400 per kg from the previous HET of Rp. 14,400 per kg.

Finally, for the Maluku region, the relaxation of the premium rice HET was Rp. 15,800 per kg compared to the previous HET of Rp. 14,800 per kg.

The relaxation of the premium rice HET for the Papua region is also exactly the same as the Maluku region.