Flying off the shelves: A chicken vendor waits for customers at Sentral Market in Gorontalo City, on Tuesday. (JP/Syamsul Huda M.Suhari)

The prices of basic commodities have started to increase even before the official start of the fasting month of Ramadhan on Wednesday, with regional administrations pledging to keep stocks sufficient until Idul Fitri in early August.

West Sumatra Industry and Trade Agency head Afriandi Laudin said on Tuesday that the most volatile price was chili while other commodities were still normal.

'€œFresh chili is perishable. If the supply is disrupted, the demand will drive the price up for a while,'€ he told The Jakarta Post.

The price of chili at Raya Market was Rp 37,000 (US$3.70) per kilogram (kg) in June and increased to Rp 44,000 last week and Rp 45,000 on Monday. The price has now settled at Rp 40,000.

Afriandi said his agency had coordinated with producers and distributors of basic commodities to anticipate the skyrocketing price and manage the supply until Idul Fitri, which is estimated to fall on Aug. 9.

He said that the provincial administration would only intervene if the price of a commodity was declared out of control. The limit for medium quality rice, for example, is Rp 7,500 per kg.

In Gorontalo city, the head of the trade division at the Gorontalo Cooperative, Industry and Trade Agency, Sofyan Pulo'€™o, said on Tuesday that the prices of spices such as onion, chili and tomato were fluctuating depending on the supply and season.

'€œWhile the prices have increased, the most important thing is that the supply is sufficient,'€ he said.

'€œThe price increase is a yearly cycle ahead of Ramadhan and will return to normal after the end of the fasting month.'€

He added the agency would organize market operations starting on July 16 until the end of Ramadhan.

In Makassar, the South Sulawesi provincial administration has assured that supplies will be sufficient until Idul Fitri.

South Sulawesi Industry and Trade Agency head Hadi Basalamah said the distribution and supply of basic commodities were both stable, with the stock well exceeding demand.

'€œWe have warned distributors and retailers not to increase the prices or hoard the commodities,'€ he said on Monday during a workshop on logistics preparation ahead of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri.

Rice stock, for example, stands at 278,993 tons, enough for 35 months of consumption.

In Surabaya, the East Java provincial administration is preparing 152 stock centers in 38 mayoralties and regencies, consisting of 76 stock stations and 76 stock mobile stations.

East Java Governor Soekarwo said on Monday that the stock centers would be set up at strategic points in each region to stabilize prices.

Each stock center will have at least four commodities of rice, sugar, wheat flour and cooking oil.

North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho also assured on Monday that the stock of basic commodities was plenty, with increasing prices still normal ahead of the month of Ramadhan.

'€œBased on our latest meeting and observation, the stock is still safe for the next five months,'€ he said in Medan.

The price of beef in Petisah Market ranged from Rp 95,000 to Rp 100,000 per kg while last week the price was still Rp 85,000 per kg.

Traders said demands for beef had increased by three-fold compared to normal trading.

Andi Hajramurni contributed to the story from Makassar, Wahyoe Boediwardhana from Surabaya, Apriadi Gunawan from Medan and Nana Rukmana from Cirebon

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