The prices of foodstuff were relatively high in 2013 as a result of the oil fuel price hike."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Chatib Basri said the countrys inflation in 2013 exceeded the target set in the state budget on food price hikes.

In 2013, the countrys inflation was 8.38 percent exceeding the target of 7.2 percent.

"The prices of foodstuff were relatively high in 2013 as a result of the oil fuel price hike," Chatib said here on Thursday.

Originally the government and Bank Indonesia estimated that the inflation would exceed 9 percent but the target was set at 7.2 percent as the government believed that its policy package including the abolition of import quota for food stuff would be effective, he said.

A deputy chief of the Central Bureau of Statistic (BPS) Sasmito Hadi Wibowo blamed traders for the high inflation in 2013.

Traders gained from speculation ahead of the oil fuel price hikes in mid 2013, Sasmito said.

Sasmito said the government should make sufficiently available food supply early this year to make sure that inflation would not exceed the target of 5.5 percent in 2014.

"More important is that rice supply should be sufficient in addition to supplies of other food products like onion, chili. Gasoline is no longer a major contributor to inflation," he said.

Last year, however, gasoline was one of the largest contributors to inflation, accounting for 1.17 percentage points of the 8.38 percent inflation, he said.

Other major contributors to inflation in 2013 included city transport fare, red onion and electricity tariff, chili, fresh fish and rice.
(Uu.H-ASG/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2014