Gianyar, Bali (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) highlighted three steps to anticipate the impact of the political situation ahead of the 2024 elections on the national economy.

"The most important thing is to continuously increase production (of basic commodities), so that with the abundant supply, selling prices will not increase," Jokowi remarked after visiting the Bulan Market in Gianyar District, Bali, Tuesday.

In the second step, the head of state had urged Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman to focus on rice production during the political year.

"(It is) because we cannot control the (rice) price and curb it even though it is not going up anymore," he stated.

Third, President Jokowi also relies on regional heads to participate in anticipating the impact of various challenges in the political year, especially regarding the regional economy.

Related news: Bapanas assures of food price stabilization to control inflation

On Monday (Oct 30), Jokowi had ordered regional heads to control inflation by maintaining the stability in prices of basic necessities in their respective regions.

Jokowi said, local governments are allowed to use the emergency budget for unexpected expenses to address the issue.

During the meeting, Jokowi urged regional leaders to remain vigilant of the impacts of the El Nino phenomenon, especially on commodity production drop.

The president also urged regional governments to allocate budgets for economic stimulus and social assistance for the public.

Related news: Regions urged to optimize budget, mitigate risks to control inflation

Translator: Ni Putu P Muliantari, Sri Haryati
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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