The government has ensured that food supplies are safe and sufficient throughout Ramadan until the approach of Eid, especially since national food production is expected to increase significantly with the harvest season, so food availability should not be an issue.
However, in some areas, rice is still being sold above the highest retail price (HET).
Moreover, the prices of other food commodities such as chili, beef, and eggs have sharply risen due to high demand, while production has not yet met consumer needs.
Professor Kuncoro Harto Widodo, a food logistics observer from the UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FTP UGM), stated that this instability in food prices is due to disruptions in the supply chain, even though the government has implemented market operations and price control policies for certain foods like rice.
“At every level, the actors and providers within the food supply chain have the potential to contribute to fluctuations in production, availability, and prices of food products,” he said on Monday (Mar. 10).
Although the government has enacted policies to address price uncertainty and fluctuations through food reserves and market operations, Professor Widodo believes that improving the food supply chain ecosystem is still necessary.
“All stakeholders in the food supply chain system, from upstream to downstream, should be more synergized,” he said.
According to Professor Widodo, collaboration is needed among inter-ministerial agencies, government institutions, central and local governments, regional authorities, and the private sector.
“This cooperation can strengthen the food supply chain ecosystem at both national and regional levels,” he emphasized.
Regarding the upstream sector, Professor Widodo suggested that the government must ensure food production levels align with the food self-sufficiency targets.
Meanwhile, in the downstream sector, the government must ensure that all needs can be met by relying on food production and reserves.
However, this is not enough; it must be accompanied by improved transparency and information sharing that is more real-time and easily accessible during food production, storage, and distribution phases.
“This way, the sustainability and stability of production, food availability, and food price stability can be improved and maintained,” he said.
On another note, Professor Widodo highlighted the impact of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, which affects food demand and supply levels.
The MBG program could potentially exacerbate the existing issues, particularly regarding the availability and demand for food commodities.
“Since this program is implemented nationally, it is predicted to significantly affect the existing food demand and availability profile and potentially contribute to the ongoing price fluctuations,” he concluded.
Author: Kezia Dwina Nathania
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photograph: Bisnis.com