REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said the on-going market operations would be carried out continuously -- not during the current Ramadan fasting month only -- until commodity prices became stable.
"The market operations will be carried out not only during the fasting month but it will proceed until a new market structure is created," the minister said when observing the launch of a market operation at the office of the Horticulture Directorate General in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Sunday.
Minister Sulaiman and Industry Minister Saleh Husain inspected bazaars organized by the Ministry of Agriculture at Pasar Minggu and Pasar Cipete, South Jakarta.
The bazaar activities are held to help bring down soaring food commodity prices at markets in the current fasting month of Ramadan.
The first market operation was launched at Pasar Minggu selling such commodities as rice, shallots, cooking oil, red chili and sugar.
Housewives packed the premise of the horticulture office to buy basic necessities sold at a price lower than the regular market prices.
In the market operations, beef was sold at Rp75,000 per kilogram (kg), shallots at Rp25,000 per kg, cooking oil at Rp11,000 per litter, rice at Rp7,500 per kg, red chili at Rp18,000 per kg and essential commodity packages at Rp25,000 per package.
The commodity packages contain 2 kg of rice, 1 liter of cooking oil, 1 kg of sugar and 3 packs of instant noodles.
Housewives also packed the Pasar Minggu and Pasar Cipete markets to buy food commodities offered in the market operations.
Minister Amran said residents could purchase basic necessities at a very low price in the market operations. Beef was sold at Rp75,000 per kg, lower than the request made by President Joko Widodo at Rp80,000 per kg.
"One should not think of beef only when it comes to food commodities. There are at least nine food commodities apart from beef, such as rice. Beef can be sold at Rp75,000 per kg. So, the president's request could be implemented," said Amran.
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