Ahead of Ramadan, Government Maintains Distribution Chain to Keep Food Prices Stable

By: Anindiya Anissa

Ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2025, the government has designed various strategies to maintain stable food prices and smooth distribution. Various policies have been prepared to ensure that people get basic necessities at reasonable prices. One of the main efforts made is strict supervision of the distribution chain and market intervention if necessary. With this step, the government is trying to prevent price spikes that could burden the community.
Deputy for Coordination of Information and Communication Evaluation of the Presidential Communications Office, Fritz Edward Siregar, emphasized that the government will act quickly if there is an unreasonable increase in the price of basic necessities. Market operations have been prepared to suppress price spikes, especially for strategic commodities such as cooking oil and sugar. In addition, a number of BUMN are also involved in the distribution scheme to ensure that food supplies are available throughout Indonesia. The government is targeting that the public can still access food at prices that are in accordance with the regulations that have been set.
In addition to ensuring the availability of stock, the government is also collaborating with the National Police Food Task Force to oversee the distribution of basic necessities in the market. Head of the National Police Food Task Force, Brigadier General Helfi Assegaf, stated that supervision was carried out comprehensively to ensure that there were no price deviations that exceeded the Highest Retail Price (HET). Although Papua experienced a slight increase in prices, this condition was still within reasonable limits and remained under strict supervision. The government also ensured that the distribution of basic necessities was not hampered, and imposed strict sanctions on parties who violated the established price provisions.
As an additional step in maintaining price stability, the government also ensured the smooth distribution of other basic necessities, including fertilizers, seeds, and LPG gas. This effort aims to prevent obstacles in agricultural production and the daily needs of the community. This supervision is carried out strictly to ensure that all basic necessities are available without any hoarding practices or price speculation that harms consumers. The public is also urged to play an active role in reporting any indications of distribution violations or unreasonable food prices.
Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, ensured that the availability of nine basic commodities is in a safe condition to face Ramadan until Eid al-Fitr 2025. Based on the results of the government’s evaluation, the stock of strategic foodstuffs, including rice, sugar, cooking oil, and meat, is sufficient to support market operations. Rice, as one of the main commodities, has a stock of more than two million tons at Bulog, which is considered sufficient to meet national needs without the need for price intervention in the near future. Thus, the public can feel calm because basic foodstuffs remain available at stable prices. In addition to ensuring stock, the government also monitors price movements in the market to anticipate the potential for uncontrolled price increases. Amran said that the price of basic commodities such as rice is currently relatively stable throughout Indonesia, although he did not specifically detail the prevailing market prices. The government remains vigilant and ready to take intervention steps if indications of unreasonable price increases are found, including through the implementation of wider market operations. In an effort to strengthen price control, the government also emphasized that there is no tolerance for entrepreneurs who sell basic commodities above the HET. If violations are found, the government will take firm steps in the form of sealing business premises and freezing operational permits. The government is committed to protecting the public from detrimental pricing practices, so that all business actors are required to comply with the regulations that have been set.
As part of a more comprehensive strategy, the government is also targeting an increase in the number of market operation points throughout Indonesia. Currently, more than 4,000 distribution points have been prepared spread across various regions, including remote areas. The government has also collaborated with a number of digital platforms to make it easier for the public to obtain the latest food price information and the location of the nearest market operation.
In addition, the logistics and transportation sectors are also the main focus in maintaining the smooth distribution of food. The government has coordinated with various related parties to ensure that there are no obstacles in the delivery of basic necessities from producer areas to the market. This step is expected to reduce the risk of distribution delays which are often the main cause of food price increases in several regions.