Agricom.id, JAKARTA – General Director of Domestic Trade, Ministry of Trade, Suhanto said that the central government is committed to maintain the price and supply stability of the daily needs when the corona virus (Covid – 19) hits the people in Indonesia. He told that in the press conference in the hall of Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), Jakarta, Wednesday (25/3/2020).

“In this crisis situation, the government is committed to maintain the balance of demand and the supply of the daily needs as Minister of Trade, Agus Suparmanto told the description of what President Joko Widodo told. Every stakeholder should support what ministry of trade would do, and everything runs well,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

Based on what ministry of trade monitored on Tuesday (24/2/2020), the price nationally for the rice, cooking oil, flour, soybean, cow meat, egg and union were relatively stable.

But the hen meat, curly red chili, and big red chili were cheaper than it in the previous month. But the garlic is not significantly cheaper.

The products which get more expensive are, sugar reaching 23,4 % or to be Rp17.781/kg or 42,25 % more than the highest retail price, which is Rp12.500/kg; and the red chili that gets more expensive 8,45 percent to be Rp48.500/kg from the previous month.

“In general the stocks of the daily needs are good heading to the fasting days and Idul Fitri 2020. But for the sugar and garlic, we are doing the best to multiply the stocks by import and from the Enterprises,” he said.

He also told that the government is making some to maintain the daily need availability. For the garlic, for instance, ministry of trade published the import approval for about 150 thousand tons on 19 March 2020.

Besides, to accelerate the import license to multiply the domestic stocks, ministry of trade published the Regulation of Minister of Trade 27 / 2020. The point in the regulation is that the garlic and onion would no need import approval and surveyor report to do imports until 31 May 2020.

“Ministry of trade and the Food Task Force would monitor every warehouse of the importer to make sure that there would be no company piling the products and taking advantages from this situation. We would intensively monitor. There would be sanctions for those who break the rule,” he said.

For the sugar, ministry of trade guaranteed the stocks and it is predicted it would be in the markets in the early of April 2020. Besides, ministry of trade would provide it for the next four months or until June 2020.

In the chance, he also mentioned that to minimize the Covid – 19 spread in Indonesia, the government suggested the people to calm down, not need to ‘panic buying’ and we should keep the environment well. “Do everything at your home. If you must go out, keep the distance. We need to be in health and hygienic,” he suggested.

He did hope that the cooperation with the media would make the news good to read, watch, or listen and would no need “panic buying’. “In this situation, the epidemic or Covid – 19, every stakeholder should take role and pay attention,” he said. (A2)