Fulfilling Needs During Ramadan, Government Increases Distribution of Basic Necessities

Director General Of Agro Industry Of The Ministry Of Industry Putu Juli Ardika/DOK Kemenperin

JAKARTA - The need for basic necessities among the community tends to increase during the momentum of Ramadan and ahead of Eid al-Fitr.

As an effort to help the community meet their needs at affordable prices, the government is encouraging the distribution of basic necessities, including cooking oil in quantities twice as large as usual.

"On the instructions of the President and also the results of the limited coordination meeting (Rakortas), the amount of distribution of basic necessities which is usually 250,000 tons, this Ramadan has become 500,000 tons," said the Director General of Agro Industry at the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) Putu Juli Ardika as quoted from his written statement, Saturday, March 15.

Putu explained that the government is also encouraging Bulog, ID FOOD, to work with PT Telkom to distribute basic necessities, so that the distribution chain can be shortened.

"The shorter the chain, the lower the price. Hopefully this step can help the community. We really hope that the cooking oil received by consumers can be below the retail price," he said.

In addition, the Indonesian manufacturing sector has continued to record optimistic growth since early 2025. In February 2025, the Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) value was recorded at 53.6 or a significant increase of 1.7 points compared to January 2025.

Likewise, the Industrial Confidence Index (IKI) was recorded at 53.15 in February 2025. The high industrial optimism in February 2025 is also inseparable from the increase in demand for industrial products during the month of Ramadan and preparations for Eid.

Therefore, in addition to maintaining the price of basic necessities, the Ministry of Industry is also trying to ensure the availability of market stock and distribute domestic products at affordable prices through the implementation of the Ramadan Bazaar "Cheap Shopping, Abundant Fortune in a Month Full of Blessings".

This activity is routinely carried out every year by the Ministry of Industry's DWP.

During the three days of the bazaar on March 11-13, 2025, the number of money transactions in circulation reached IDR 600 million.