I saw an increase in prices in markets, but not because of lack of supplySemarang, C Java (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said that the Christmas and New Year celebrations have caused the prices of food in some traditional markets to fluctuate.
"I saw an increase in prices in markets, but not because of lack of supply. The supplies are enough, so this is really because of Christmas and New Year," Amin observed during a working visit to Johar Market here on Thursday.
He said that the annual cycle of major religious celebrations often triggers an increase in consumer demand, which pushes up the price of essential commodities.
He informed that one such commodity is chili, whose price reached Rp60 thousand per kilogram after Christmas Day.
According to him, there is no shortage of staples such as chili, potato, rice, and vegetables in Semarang city.
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He also urged related agencies to improve the governance of food products by prioritizing their distribution in local areas before sending them outside Java.
"We must regulate governance. We can send them outside but they must be sufficient in the local areas," he said.
Amin also highlighted the complaints of some traders who said there has been a lack of customers at the market post its revitalization. The market had suffered a fire in 2015.
"There were complaints that there was a lack of customers because the market is new. I asked the governor to rearrange so visitors can enter (more easily)," he said.
Earlier, Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Puan Maharani, asked the government to control the price of staple commodities, which has continued to rise of late, especially ahead of the New Year.
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Translator: Andi F, Kenzu
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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