Badanas Strives To Control Inflation Ahead Of Eid 2023

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - The National Food Agency (NFA) continues to carry out various food inflation control actions ahead of the National Holidays and Religions (HBKN) of Eid Al-Fitr through the distribution of food social assistance, cheap market activities, and Facilitation of Food Distribution (FDP).

"In the context of controlling inflation, especially inflation in the food sector, this April NFA has carried out a number of mitigation steps, both routinely and in the newly launched program such as the distribution of food aid," said NFA Head Arief Prasetyo Adi in his statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Monday, April 14.

The distribution of government rice reserves (CBP) for rice food assistance, he continued, had been launched directly with the President in early April 2023. Through this program, Perum Bulog was assigned to distribute rice aid to 21.353 million Beneficiary Families (KPM) where each KPM would get 10 kg of rice 3 times for 3 months, namely March, April and May.

Rice food assistance activities have begun in stages on March 31, 2023. As of April 15, 2023, 111,492 tons of rice have been distributed

In addition, rice food assistance, Arief said, NFA has also launched food assistance for chicken meat and chicken eggs for 1.4 million Stunting Risk Families (KRS).

Similar to rice assistance, assistance for stunting-prone families will be distributed for the next three months in April, May, and June 2023. The assistance distributed consists of 1 chicken meat measuring around 0.9-1.1 kg and 1 chicken egg tray or as many as 10 pills.

"For the initial stage before Eid al-Fitr, assistance will be distributed to 78 thousand KRS spread across Central Java, East Java, Banten and West Java. Overall, total aid will be distributed in 7 provinces with 3 other provinces, namely North Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Sulawesi," he said.

Arief explained that the distribution program for rice food assistance as well as eggs and chicken meat aims to maintain community food supply while maintaining food price stabilization at the upstream or producer level.

"This food aid program is expected to maintain food supply, meet the nutritional needs of the community, while maintaining price stability in the context of controlling national inflation," he said.

Further mitigation efforts are routinely carried out by NFA for inflation control, namely by continuing to intensify the Cheap Food Movement (GPM) and Facilitation of Food Distribution in collaboration with the Regional Government, Food SOEs and the Food Manufacturers Association.