Jakarta (ANTARA) - Inspector General at the Home Affairs Ministry Tomsi Tohir has called on related ministries and institutions to help regional governments experiencing shortages of food ingredients ahead of Ramadhan.

"To the ladies and gentlemen from ministries and institutions, we urge you to focus on providing a way out for our colleagues in regions," he remarked.

If the food ingredient shortages are not handled, then it will certainly raise the price of these necessities, he stated during the Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting here Monday.

Regional governments had delivered data on the list of food ingredients that experience shortages.

These include rice, purebred chicken, purebred chicken eggs, shallots, garlic, red chilies, bird's eye chilies, cooking oil, beef, corn, sugar, and soybeans.

On the occasion, he also reminded all regional heads to make all-out efforts in handling inflation in their respective regions.

He then urged the regional governments to monitor the price and stock of daily necessities in their respective regions once every two days.

"Thus, if there is a rise or spike related to (daily necessities') price and stock, then efforts that we make will not be too late," Tohir explained.

He called on all districts or cities to conduct monitoring.

This is because based on his record as per March 20, 2023, only 407 regions had conducted monitoring of the prices of daily necessities.

In addition to monitoring, regional governments should take various other important steps, such as conduct cheap market operations with related offices and maintain the supply of daily necessities and other important goods.

Moreover, they should conduct inspection of markets and prevent distributors from hoarding goods.

In the near future, Tohir expects all regional governments to conduct more comprehensive inflation control efforts.

This is undertaken by continuing to develop communication with ministries or institutions, including law enforcement authorities, to handle fraudulence on the field related to the distribution of daily necessities, among other measures.

Related news: Indonesia has surplus food ahead of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr: Ministry
Related news: Jokowi ensures market operations to continue until rice prices stable

Translator: Tri Meilani A, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023