In addition to maintaining the stocks and prices of staple goods, he called for accelerating the distribution of all social protection packages.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) instructed relevant ministries and institutions to maintain food stocks and price stability ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, projected from March to April 2024.

The instruction was conveyed during a Plenary Cabinet Meeting for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Preparations, Government Work Programs, Macroeconomic Framework, and the Main Points of the 2025 Fiscal Policy, held at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.

“We will enter Ramadan month in March, and we will celebrate Eid al-Fitr in April. I ask all relevant ministries and institutions to be vigilant and ensure that the community can carry out worship activities calmly,” he remarked.

In addition to maintaining the stocks and prices of staple goods, he called for accelerating the distribution of all social protection packages.

Furthermore, he urged relevant ministries and institutions to prepare the infrastructures and transportation modes that will be used by the community to join the Eid al-Fitr homecoming exodus.

Earlier, Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi stated that the government will continue to conduct market interventions to create a balance in food prices in the market.

He pointed out that it took time to create a balance between prices at the producer and consumer levels.

However, he affirmed that the government had calculated this aspect, so that the community need not harbor concerns about food prices that are currently not yet stable.

“The government has several programs as forms of market intervention to balance food prices,” Adi remarked.

The first intervention is the Cheap Food Movement (GPM) that is also carried out by the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).

The other intervention is the Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) program, under which food is distributed to modern retail stores, traditional markets, and central markets.  

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