Pedagang bahan kebutuhan pokok (sembako). TEMPO/Tony Hartawan
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he had instructed both local and central governments to conduct market operations ahead of Ramadan to control prices of staple food. Jokowi asserted that price speculation should not be allowed so as to prevent increasing food prices.
“I will go after those who manipulate prices of basic necessities,” Jokowi said during the launch of a Cheap Market Operation in West Java on Monday, June 15, 2015.
Jokowi revealed that the West Java Industry and Trade Agency had allocated Rp10 billion (US$769,000) to kick off the market operations aiming at households in 27 West Java’s regencies and cities ahead of Ramadan.
Presidential Communication Team member Teten Masduki said that the program would prioritize regencies and cities that had requested the market operations.
During the market operations, the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia have prepared 300,000 tons of rice and 25,000 tons of sugar to be distributed to the public in West Java.
