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Central bank to launch app for monitoring food prices
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The logo of Bank Indonesia is seen on the main gate of the central bank's headquarters in Jakarta. (Antara/File)
B
ank Indonesia (BI) plans to launch a mobile app through which the public and regional administrations can monitor harga pangan (the prices of staple foods) on a daily basis.
The public would be able to use the app to avoid being deceived, while the regional administrations can use it to observe when prices go too high so they can tackle them faster.
The public can already download the app or use it on the hargapangan.id website, but it has not been officially launched.
The program managed by the Information Center for Strategic Food Prices (PIHPS) collects data from traditional markets in 82 cities in all 34 provinces in the country for 10 commodities: rice, shallots, garlic, red chili, birdseye chili, beef, chicken, eggs, sugar and vegetable oil.
(Read also: Nine wholesalers ‘control chili distribution’ in Java, says official)
“The PIHPS has been running, but we’ll wait for the official launch,” Dody Budi Waluyo, the BI governor's assistant for monetary and economic policy, said recently.
“BI keeps improving the program. We’ll also collect [prices] not only from traditional markets, but also from modern markets; also maybe from big traders and touch on more commodities, as well as prices at the producers’ level. The point is we keep innovating with this,” he added.
Previously, BI deputy governor Sugeng told the media that the central bank also plans to create a data system to track supplies of staple foods in the regions.
All the aforementioned systems were developed so BI and the government could come up with better policies to achieve a 4 to 5 percent inflation rate. (bbn)
