"This afternoon I invited rice rice traders in Jakarta particularly the Cipinang wholesale market. We want the issue of rice price hike to be resolved soon," Jokowi said in the Presidential Palace compounds.
The President said he had received information that the rice prices would return to normal in one or two weeks time.
"The prices will fall around Rp2,000 a kg. It is our common commitment to return the prices to normal level as we have entered grand harvest time," he said.
Chief of the Indonesian Rice Huller Owners and Traders Association (Perpadi) Nelly Soekidi attributed the rice price hike to supply and demand.
"Normally 3,500 tons enter Cipinang everyday but only 1,000 tons entered the market yesterday so the prices rose," he said.
Nelly said rice prices would decline after the President instructed the relevant agency to meet demand at the Cipinang market no matter what the prices were.
"Today 8,900 tons of rice from Demak and Pati entered the market but the rice is medium class," he said.
If the rice prices at the Cipinang market fell, the rice price in the rest of Indonesia would decline accordingly, she said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
