We saw there are merchants who provide digital payment methods, and we will continue to encourage this.
Padang, W Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Trade is targeting to digitize one thousand markets in Indonesia in one year to make it easier for people to carry out transactions.

"We have cooperated with Bank Indonesia (BI) through the QR Code Indonesia Standard (QRIS) to facilitate digital payments at existing stalls," Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry Sambuaga said during a visit to Padang Grand Market here on Saturday.

According to Sambuaga, apart from BI, his ministry is also cooperating with other vendors in carrying out market digitalization sustainably.

"We are hoping for the cooperation and support of regional governments in making this program a success because, indeed, markets are under (the authority of) city and district governments," he said.

Based on his visit to Padang Grand Market on Saturday, he noted that though market digitalization has started to be carried out there, it is not thorough yet.

"We saw there are merchants who provide digital payment methods, and we will continue to encourage this," he said.

During the visit, he also reviewed the prices of several staple goods in Padang city ahead of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, which will start in the third week of March.

Some of the goods that he inspected were bulk cooking oil, subsidized and affordable bulk cooking oil product MinyaKita, shallots, and garlic.

"We want to compare, and so far, the prices are relatively stable in the market. Indeed, the price of bulk cooking oil is lower than the standard, and Minyakita was found selling (at a price) higher than the retail price ceiling," he observed.

One of the sellers at Padang Grand Market, Delvi, said that currently, the prices of several staple goods are relatively stable. However, the prices usually rise one week before the start of Ramadan and one week before Eid al-Fitr.

"In the middle of the fasting month, the prices will return to stable. We bought the goods at already-high prices, so we are selling them to consumers at high prices, " the seller said.


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Translator: Mario Sofia, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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