So we must increase the supplies, sourced domestically or import the products."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government is committed to keeping the prices of basic necessities stable ahead of the fasting month and the subsequent Lebaran festivities, Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla has stated.

"Prices always rise ahead of Lebaran because a lot of people suddenly have larger needs at the same time," he explained at the Vice Presidential Palace here on Friday (May 27, 2016).

To keep the prices stable, the government will make every effort to ensure supplies, he vowed.

"The prices depend on supplies. So we must increase the supplies, sourced domestically or import the products," he stressed.

He predicted that beef imports will increase ahead of the fasting month of Ramadhan, while domestic supplies of foodstuff such as rice, eggs and onion will be adequate.

Antara observed that the prices of several basic necessities have already been on the rise almost in all regions since last April. The regions include North Maluku, West Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, East Kalimantan and Banten.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution announced after chairing a coordination meeting on food prices here on Tuesday that the government may import foodstuffs to stabilize the prices before the start of the fasting month on June 6.

"We have assigned a state-owned company to import these products so that their prices can be kept down, particularly in view of the fasting month and the subsequent Lebaran festivity," he informed.

He noted that while prices of several foods, including beef and onions, are increasing, the prices of rice and red chilies are declining since this is the harvest season.

The government wants to import foodstuffs to prevent prices from skyrocketing and to avoid scarcity, something that may lead to public unrest, he reasoned.

The coordination meeting assigned the Trade Ministry and the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) to take various steps to stabilize the prices of foodstuffs.

(Reported by Azizah Fitriyanti/Uu.S012/INE/KR-BSR/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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