Businessmen found guilty of hoarding could face a seven-year jail term and a fine of Rp100 billion.Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti reiterated that businesses have been banned from hoarding basic necessities that could cause prices of commodities to soar.
"We want to reaffirm that hoarding is an activity which violates the law. The act is a crime and could be charged based on the Law on Food and the Law on Trade", the National Police (Polri) Chief said.
He said the National Police had issued a notice on the ban. The notice has also been circulated among the police rank and file.
The Polri Chief added that the circular was issued after it was found that such practices were being carried out, particularly in Java, where basics were being hoarded, particularly beef and chicken, which had disturbed supplies and resulted in soaring prices.
"I have issued a notice regarding the same. We want the supplies of essential goods in the country to run smoothly," the police chief said.
Businessmen found guilty of hoarding could face a seven-year jail term and a fine of Rp100 billion.
After beef prices shot up during the last several weeks, the prices of chicken are now on the rise. This has led many to believe that the increase in the prices of basic commodities was being caused by the acts of certain parties hoarding stocks.
Therefore, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, appealed to chicken traders to not go on strike by stopping the sale of chicken and assured them that their stock is safe.
"We appeal to poultry traders in Bandung to not go on strike because stock is secured and the farmers prices stable," he said at a press conference after closing the meeting of the poultry association on Thursday last week.
He hoped traders would continue with their trading activities saying the government had ensured that their stock was safe, while the price standard had remained the same as before the Ramadhan fasting month.
He added that he would adopt certain measures if the prices became uncontrollable.
"But if they all go on strike, we will have to conduct market operations with Bulog (logistics company)," he said.
Minister Sulaiman said he would pay attention to the needs of domestic chicken traders later.
"We are ready to conduct market operations. Later, the demand and supply mechanism must indeed be given attention," he stated.
He said the market operations will be monitored through the Ministry of Agriculture, Bulog and poultry farmers.
"We have checked with poultry farmers and the normal price of chicken should be between Rp17,000 and Rp20,000 per kilogram. The stock is sufficient and so there is no reason for the prices to rise in the market," he said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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