Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan: People Don't Have To Worry About Rising Rice Prices

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan at the Working Day 100 of the Minister of Trade in Jakarta, Sunday (25/9/2022). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Menteri Perdagangan (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan menyatakan, masyarakat tak perlu khawatir dengan adanya kenaikan harga beras considering pemerintah akan memberikan subsidi terhadap selisih harga jualnya. "For example, the price of rice from Bulog is more, it can be helped by subsidies, so there is no need to worry actually because it is financed by the government (the price difference)," he said at the Working Day 100 of the Minister of Trade in Jakarta, Antara, Sunday, September 25. Zulkifli ensured that the public would not pay more expensive rice prices considering that the government has this price and supply stabilization (CSHP) reserve mechanism. He explained that the current price of rice is starting to rise because the price of grain has increased from Rp4,400 to Rp5,500 considering that each region in Java, such as East Java, Central Java and Banten, has made grains and many companies have absorbed the grain. The Ministry of Trade will continue to coordinate with Perum Bulog to organize market operations in a number of areas in order to control the increase in rice prices. Meanwhile, in terms of stock, added Zulkifli, currently the government's rice reserves (CBP) in Perum Bulog's warehouse reach 800 thousand tons so that they will still be able to meet their needs by the end of the year. He also admitted that he would not hesitate to take steps in importing rice if it was necessary to meet the needs. "There is no bargaining for rice because (the contribution) to inflation is 3.3 percent. Rare rice is not overshadowed. I am willing to import it. So that it is really guarded. If it is expensive, there must be market operations," he said. Not only rice, the government will also provide subsidies for the difference in selling price for soybeans of Rp. 1,000 per kilogram and corn of Rp. 1,500 per kilogram if the prices of the two commodities increase above the Highest Retail Price (HET). Secretary General of the Ministry of Trade Suhanto explained that the CSHP mechanism itself is used if the price of rice is higher than the HET, namely Perum Bulog will intervene to distribute the rice, then the government will pay for the difference in the price of rice in the market at a price that Bulog sells. He explained, on average, rice prices increased by 0.9 percent compared to last year with the price of medium rice distributed by the government currently around Rp. 9,000 per kilogram while premium rice was around Rp. 10,000 per kilogram. "So there is no need to worry, the price will definitely be under control and Bulog will start tomorrow with the Minister of Trade starting to intervene because there is a slight increase," explained Suhanto.