Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) ensured that food supplies and prices remain safe following the floods and landslides in Sumatra with strengthened distribution, food assistance, and supervision of price stability.
Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization at Bapanas, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, after monitoring at Rawamangun Market, Jakarta, on Wednesday, stated that food prices are relatively stable.
"The Minister of Agriculture, who also serves as the Head of the National Food Agency, has made it very clear: there must be no price gouging, especially during a disaster," he remarked.
Monitoring measures have been enhanced through the mobilization of the Food Task Force, regional governments, and all stakeholders to maintain supply and market prices.
Regular food assistance and disaster relief, including Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) rice, continue to be distributed to disaster-affected areas to ensure that the community's basic needs are met and that price pressures can be curbed.
According to Astawa, the impact of the disaster on prices in other regions is insignificant because distribution has been reinforced and additional supplies have been mobilized to maintain stability nationwide.
The task force has been on full stand-by to quickly respond to any price fluctuations, ensuring that interventions are being carried out on time to prevent price volatility from spreading.
Baca juga: Bantuan pangan dan intervensi daerah bencana diperkuat
The government is not only focused on lowering prices when they are high but also on addressing them when they drop. This ensures that farmers continue to earn a decent income and that production is maintained sustainably.
One example of this was when Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman purchased 40 tons of bird's eye chilies from Aceh, which were then distributed across Jakarta and Medan.
Baca juga: Mentan Amran fokus kejar produsen pelanggar HET
He highlighted that chili prices had previously reached Rp80,000 (approximately US$4.78) per kilogram, noting that current price fluctuations are primarily due to rainy weather hindering harvest, rather than a shortage of national stock.
Nevertheless, he mentioned that the price of bird's eye chilies currently ranges between Rp40,000 and Rp50,000 per kilogram.
