This measure is a form of government intervention aimed at suppressing price hikes while maintaining a stable rice supply.
"There is indeed government intervention, namely the distribution of SPHP rice, to stabilize food supply and prices," the Minister said in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to Tito, the distribution of SPHP rice and 10-kg rice packages is the government's key instrument for controlling rice prices.
He noted that this policy is beginning to show positive results, both in maintaining rice availability and curbing inflation.
Meanwhile, agricultural observer Bustanul Arifin said the government needs to distribute significant amounts of rice to suppress prices in those 214 regions.
According to him, SPHP rice distribution will be effective if implemented on a large scale. "The average SPHP distribution must exceed 500,000 tons per month across Indonesia," he said.
Askur Rahman, a lecturer in agriculture at Trunojoyo University, also emphasized that accelerating the distribution of SPHP rice to the market and distributing 10-kg of rice aid to the community is an urgent measure to bring rice prices back below HET.
Askur highlighted that rice is a major staple food commodity that significantly impacts inflation, purchasing power, and socio-political stability.
"The state has an interest in maintaining stable and affordable rice prices," he said.
However, he cautioned that the policy of accelerating SPHP rice distribution is only effective in the short term because it increases supply.
In the long term, price stability remains dependent on national agricultural productivity, continuous distribution, and supply chain efficiency.
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Translator: Yoanita Hastryka Djohan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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