Trade Minister Guarantees Food Supplies Sufficient for Eid al-Fitr
- VIVA/Umi Kalsum
Jakarta – Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan guaranteed that the availability of all essential food supplies during the holy month of Ramadan until Eid al-Fitr will be sufficient.
"The stock is sufficient, plenty, rice has been harvested and almost harvested, chili peppers, onions are also now in season," the Trade Minister said on Monday.
Minister Hasan said, that if there is an increase in the price of basic commodities, it's because of shipping or transportation factors and also due to entering the Eid homecoming flow periods can hamper the process of shipping raw materials.
Menteri Perdagangan (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan Rapat Kerja dengan Komisi VI DPR RI
- VIVA.co.id/Anisa Aulia
"Prices are rising, so we have asked public, and local governments to use reserve and unexpected assistance to subsidize transportation. So, during Ramadan until Eid, prices will not rise," Minister Hasan remarked.
The head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Arief Prasetyo Adi, added that food supplies are sufficient at 1.2 million tons.
"I can say that the government's food reserves are very sufficient, today there are 1.2 million tons. Then, earlier Minister of Trade had said that there was cooperation between regions," Adi stated.
For the distribution process of staples, he said it would not be too constrained. This is due to regulations from the Indonesian National Police that have excluded transportation restrictions for staples.
"The police have also supported that transportation related to staples will not be hampered, so this month's harvest is 3.8 million tons of rice. Then next month 4.9 million tons of the 2.5 million tons needed. So we make sure the stock is sufficient," he concluded.
