"Price of several basic necessaries will increase ranging from 2 to 4 percent at the national average," Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said here on Friday night on the sidelines of a meeting where the government announced the price hike of subsidized fuels.
On a separate occasion, Gita Wirjawan said that the government and businessmen have agreed to keep the prices of basic necessaries stable after the prices of subsidized fuels are raised.
They reached the agreement in the face of the government`s plan to increase the prices of subsidized fuels, Industry Minister Mohamad S Hidayat said after a joint meeting with Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan at the Trade Ministry in Jakarta on Friday.
"The step was also taken to stabilize the prices of basic commodities ahead of the fasting month of Ramadhan," he said.
The government announced the price hike of subsidized gasoline from Rp4,500 to Rp6,500 a liter and subsidized diesel oil from Rp4,500 to Rp5,500 a liter.
The announcement was read by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, Jero Wacik in a meeting here on Friday night, which was also attended by senior economic minister, Hatta Rajasa, and Coordinating minister for people`s welfare, Agung Laksono.
According to Jero Wacik, the price hike of subsidized fuels was made based on the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister`s regulation
number 07PM/12/MEM/2013 regarding the adjustment of retail prices of subsidized fuel.
The government announced the fuels price hike after the House of Representatives (DPR) passed a bill of the revised 2013 state budget into a law at a plenary session here on Monday night, that approved the government`s proposal to raise the prices of subsidized fuels.
(SYS/B003)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
