Governor, minister confirm stable food supply

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 09/06/2008 11:28 AM  |  City

Governor Fauzi Bowo has assured Jakartans there is sufficient food supply to last through Ramadan and Idul Fitri, adding prices have been relatively stable.

"Jakartans should not worry about running out of food. The food supply up to now is sufficient and prices are still stable. We will monitor food prices every day," he said Friday, as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

"The administration will also open 20 markets across five municipalities next week, which will sell affordable goods," he added.

Fauzi, accompanied by Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, was speaking after an impromptu inspection of food prices at the Jatinegara market in East Jakarta.

Inspections are important for monitoring prices and the availability of food supplies, Fauzi said.

"Inspections are aimed at controlling food prices. We will continue with these kinds of inspections at various locations across the city until two days before Idul Fitri," he added.

During the inspection, Mari and Fauzi visited kiosks selling meat, chicken, vegetables, eggs and frying oil.

At some stalls, they discovered food prices had declined.

The price of shallots, for example, dropped from Rp 12,000 to Rp 8,000 per kilogram, with chicken declining to Rp 22,000 from Rp 24,000 per kilogram.

The price of other staples, such as flour and frying oil, had declined as well.

Some prices had gone up, the two officials learned, particularly for eggs, meat, carrots and tomatoes.

A kilogram of carrots, for example, increased to Rp 10,000, from Rp 8,000 (less than US$1).

Mari said the public should not worry about increases in some food prices, since there was no problem with supply.

"It's also clear that the price of food this year is more stable than in 2007," she added.

Price increases were unavoidable, she explained, adding they occurred every year due to seasonal demand.

"The most important thing is the supply is adequate to fulfill public demand. That's why we always encourage vendors to acquire more food stocks," Mari said.

The government will prioritize transportation of food in order to maintain availability prior to Idul Fitri, Mari added.

The Jakarta administration should report food shortages to the central government so that any problems can be immediately addressed, she said.

According to vendors, customers usually buy vegetables -- such as tomatoes and potatoes -- during Idul Fitri for use in soups. Fruits for desserts are also in high demand, with vendors stocking up on timun suri (a type of cucumber), sweet potatoes and blewah (a type of melon). Chillis and green vegetables, such as spinach and water spinach, are less popular.

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