"If there is scarcity in stock, we should assure that the commodities are supplied to regions facing shortage, so that there would be no reason to increase prices," Secretary General of Trade Ministry Karyanto Surih stated here on Tuesday.
He noted that a system had been implemented, which could be proven by the fact that the inflation rate remained under control for consecutive periods.
According to Surih, the Trade and Industry Services has the responsibility to come to the field directly and provide a report on it, to ensure if there is surplus of basic goods in a region, and allocate the surplus goods to other regions.
In this case, the Ministry of Trade wants to ensure that the availability of basic commodities in all regions can be maintained, in order to avoid price hike, Surih added.
"If basic commodities are available, prices are unlikely to rise," he noted.
For this reason, he appealed to staple sellers not to cheat, for example, by stockpiling basic commodities, because the Ministry of Trade would take firm action against it.
"We are working with the food task force. If there is an increase in the price of goods in a place, and it turns out that there is a stockpiling, then it will be blacklisted. We will also blacklist the name of the seller or entrepreneur," he warned.
According to Sulih, the Ministry of Trade is also developing a technology so that each region is able to report on the availability of basic commodities in the market.
"We are reviewing this, and we will submit it later," he concluded.
Reporting by Sella Panduarsa Gareta
(T.SYS/A/KR-BSR/C/A014) 14-11-2018 00:04:34
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
