“We urge the public not to panic buy,” head of the task force, Brigadier General Helfi Assegaf, said here on Friday.
He noted that there have even been reports suggesting rice shortages.
In response, the task force’s members across Indonesia are coordinating with the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Asprindo), modern retailers, and traditional and modern markets to ensure that rice stocks for the community remain stable and meet quality standards.
“Products that may have already been produced with incorrect composition can still be sold, but must be priced accordingly based on their quality. If the quality is medium, it should be sold at a medium price, not a premium one,” Assegaf explained.
In addition to coordination with retailers, the food task force is also coordinating with the National Food Agency (Bapanas) to maintain rice availability in the market.
“Bapanas has helped by asking (state logistics agency) Bulog to immediately distribute the SPHP (Food Supply and Price Stabilization) brand rice to modern retailers to prevent shortages,” Assegaf informed.
Further, the task force has named three employees of a rice producer company as suspects in a substandard rice case.
Assegaf emphasized that though production machines belonging to such companies can be seized as legal evidence, they can still be used to continue production amid legal proceedings to ensure that rice supply is not disrupted.
“Production may continue. Once a court ruling is made, the court will decide whether the assets will be seized by the state or returned,” he said.
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Translator: Nadia, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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