Deputy Minister Sudaryono Reminds Market Traders Not To "Fomo" Raise Food Prices During Ramadan

Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan) Sudaryono. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Agriculture)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan), Sudaryono reminded market entrepreneurs and traders not to share with the food mafia which can harm the community, including in terms of fear of missing out alias Fomo to increase prices.

"I remind entrepreneurs and mafias not to hoard or set the scales, set the measure and so on, they are not allowed. Especially in partnership with crime. There should be no fomos in the fasting month," he said, quoted from his statement, Monday, March 10.

Sudaryono admitted that he would not hesitate to impose sanctions on traders who deliberately increase the price of basic necessities during the holy month of Ramadan.

"We don't want the people's fasting month to be disturbed. The President's orders are clear, the price of basic necessities must be affordable and must not go up and burden the people. People should not dance on the suffering of the people," he continued.

The government ensures that it will continue to maintain food supply and control prices so that there is no shortage or unreasonable price increases.

He also highlighted the price hike of several commodities, such as cooking oil which had exceeded the highest retail price (HET).

Kita ingin mendistorsi haga pasar karena banyak di beberapa daerah dan toko menjual di atas HET. Minyak goreng satu liter HET-nya Rp15.700 dijual lebih. Memang lonjakannya ada tapi kita ingin mendistorsi pasar supaya hargan sesuai HET, kata Sudaryono.

To overcome the surge in the price of basic necessities (bapok), the government continues to carry out low-cost market operations, especially during this Ramadan.

The government is committed to expanding and continuing market operations programs in all branches of the Post Office throughout Indonesia until after Eid.

Currently, there are 1,050 special outlets holding cheap market operations out of a total of 4,800 Post Offices. The Deputy Minister said, this market operation is very important for the community, especially in supporting government programs to provide basic necessities at affordable prices.

"We hope that after Eid al-Fitr, ladies and gentlemen can shop at the Post Office so that in the future we can run the Red and White Cooperative initiated by President Prabowo in providing cheap basic food prices for the community," he said.