He informed that the government has teamed up with the Indonesian Retail Merchants Association (Aprindo) to run a discount market program called "Friday Mubarak" to promote people's consumption during the fasting month.
"The government's commitment to providing staple foods at reasonable prices for the public is being carried out fairly, including cooperating with Aprindo to reach modern markets, so the public has options for shopping for staple foods, alongside traditional markets," he said here on Monday.
"We laud Aprindo because there are discounts ranging from 30 percent and even to 50 percent on staple commodities," he added.
He emphasized that the availability of cheap food ingredients at modern markets will not draw buyers away from traditional markets, as both markets serve different segments.
He did not provide specific prices for food commodities sold in modern markets. However, he assured that the prices would not exceed the highest retail price (HET) set by the government.
He stressed the importance of domestic food production as a priority for maintaining price stability and ensuring reasonable prices for both farmers and consumers, in line with President Prabowo Subianto's directives.
He further emphasized that the government is striving to keep prices stable at both the upstream and downstream levels to prevent farmers and livestock breeders from suffering losses, and, at the same time, ensure fair prices for consumers.
The government is also running cheap food market operations from February 24 to March 29, 2025, through 4,500 PT Pos Indonesia outlets across Indonesia to maintain food price stability.
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Translator: Harianto, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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