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Bazaar allows Jakartans to buy cheaper food commodities
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Cheaper prices - A vendor displays bags of cayenne peppers in a subsidized-food bazaar held by the Agriculture Ministry, in cooperation with the Trade Ministry and the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry, in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Sunday. (thejakartapost.com/Viriya Paramita Singgih)
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he Agriculture Ministry, in cooperation with the Trade Ministry and the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry, on Sunday held a subsidized-food bazaar in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, allowing people to buy basic commodities at cheaper prices.
Dozens of people packed the bazaar shortly after opening on Sunday morning. All basic commodities, including rice, beef, cooking oil, cayenne pepper and shallots, were sold at significantly low prices.
At the event, consumers could buy 1 kilogram of rice at only of Rp 7,500 ( 56 US cents ) while shallots were priced at Rp 25,000 per kg. Meanwhile, cayenne pepper and beef were sold at Rp 18,000 and Rp 75,000 per kg, respectively.
The bazaar also offered staple food packages, which were sold at Rp 25,000 per package containing 2 kg of rice, 1 liter of cooking oil, 1 kg of sugar and three packs of instant noodles. Each package was worth Rp 60,000 at normal prices. To buy the package, each customer had to show their identity card to the event’s organizing committee to prevent people from buying more than one package.
Sri Sulihanti, head of the consumption diversification and food safety center at the Agriculture Ministry's food security and education division, said rice currently was normally selling at Rp 10,000 per kg while the market price of beef was Rp 120,000 per kg. Meanwhile, cayenne pepper and shallots were usually sold at Rp 25,000 and Rp 40,000 respectively.
“We are selling these staple foods to consumers at lower prices [in order to reduce market prices and to influence] shorter supply chains of basic food commodities starting from the farmers,” Sri said on Sunday.
Similar bazaars have also taken place in several areas across Jakarta such as in Cipete, South Jakarta, and near Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta.
Sri said the government would routinely hold subsidized-food bazaars to help consumers fulfil their basic needs amid skyrocketing prices of various staple foods. (vps/ebf)
