Govt Suggests People to Eat Sweet Potatoes, Sorghum as Rice Prices Increase
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4 October 2023 00:08 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian advised the public to consume non-rice foods, such as sweet potatoes and sorghum, amid rising rice prices. “The key [to the surge in rice prices], other than stockpiling, is food diversification,” he said at the Finance Ministry’s office in Jakarta on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
With food diversification, he argued, people will not only rely on rice as their staple food. Indonesia has a variety of carbohydrate foods that have the potential to become staples.
“We have papeda, sago, corn, taro, and yam. They are all delicious. There are also sweet potatoes, sorghum, breadfruit, a lot of foods that can become staples, and they are all healthy,” said the former National Police Chief.
He mentioned that some types of rice contain high levels of sugar, which could be a source of diabetes mellitus. He also said that urban people have actually started to switch to non-rice foods such as cassava. Thus, he called for the intensification of food diversification campaigns. “So that people don't depend on rice.”
Based on the Bank Indonesia’s food price panel, the price of low-quality rice I increased 0.75 percent to Rp13,350 per kilogram and low-quality rice II rose 0.77 percent to Rp13,100 per kilogram.
The price of medium rice I rose 0.69 percent to Rp14,500 per kilogram, medium rice II rose 0.7 percent to Rp14,300 per kilogram, super rice I rose 0.96 percent to Rp15,850 per kilogram, and super rice II rose 0.33 percent to Rp15,200 per kilogram.
AMELIA RAHIMA SARI
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