Trade Minister Zulhas Asks Traders Not To Take Excessive Profit And Hoard Food Stock: If They Are Caught, The Task Force Will Immediately Confiscate

JAKARTA - The Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan asked all traders of staple goods not to take excessive profits and hoard stocks, if they don't want to be prosecuted by the Food Task Force.

"Be careful if someone hoards stock, the goods will be immediately confiscated by the task force. So, we ask for a reasonable profit. But if you hoard the basic needs, the task force will confiscate the goods later," Zulkifli said in a written statement on Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday 5 April.

Zulkifli said that the Ministry of Trade, in collaboration with the Food Task Force, routinely reviews the prices of basic commodities.

"We will check all markets in Indonesia in collaboration with the Food Task Force," he said.

Zulkifli conducted another inspection of the low-cost market in the Jakarta area on Wednesday (5/4). The Trade Minister inspected the low-cost markets in Cengkareng District, West Jakarta, and Cakung District, East Jakarta.

Present at the inspection of the low-cost market in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, namely West Jakarta Mayor Uus Kuswanto. While present at the inspection in Cakung, East Jakarta, namely the Head of the Office of Industry, Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises Elisabeth Ratu Rante Allo. Accompanying the Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan is the Head of the Kasan Trade Policy Agency.

He conveyed, the implementation of the bazaar aims to help people get basic needs at affordable prices.

"We have a bazaar with the Mayor to help people get cheap prices for basic necessities," said Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan.

Bazaar participants come from Indomaret modern retailers, Bulog, and Food Stations, as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the surrounding community. At this bazaar, various basic commodities are sold at affordable prices.

Staple goods sold include kating garlic sold at IDR 25,000/kilogram, Minyakita cooking oil IDR 14,000/liter, wheat flour IDR 12,000/kilogram, granulated sugar IDR 13,500/kilogram, premium packaged cooking oil at IDR 32. 500/2 liters, and Bulog medium rice IDR 47,000/5 kilograms.

In addition, packages of basic commodities are sold at a price of IDR 65,000 which contain 1 kilogram of granulated sugar, 1 kilogram of cooking oil, and 2.5 kilograms of medium rice.