TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government will hold a market operation through the Cheap Food Movement (GPM) program nationally before and during Ramadan. This market operation will take place from February 24th to the end of March 2025.

"The market operation will not only be done in Jakarta, but across Indonesia," said the head of the National Food Agency, Arief Prasetyo Adi, in an official statement received by Tempo, Thursday, February 20, 2025.

The government will prepare a number of commodities to be sold below the highest retail price (HET) during the market operation.

Several government agencies are involved in the program, including the food agency, trade agency, and agriculture agency in 38 provinces and 514 districts, as well as the Agricultural Instrument Standardization Agency (BSIP) of the Ministry of Agriculture which has offices in 34 provinces.

On the other hand, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) involved include Perum Bulog, ID FOOD, and PT Pos Indonesia, which has a network of 4,500 offices throughout Indonesia.

The Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Aprindo), PT Charoen Pokphand Indonesia, PT Japfa Comfeed Indonesia Tbk, and 452 food stalls in 31 provinces and 102 districts/cities will also support this program.

The government has set targets for the quantity of strategic staple foods that will be distributed at affordable prices. These commodities include cooking oil at 70 thousand kiloliters, with Bulog distributing 50 thousand kiloliters and ID FOOD distributing 20 thousand tons.

About 50 thousand tons of sugar will also be distributed, consisting of 43 thousand from PTPN and 7 thousand tons from ID Food.

Meanwhile, a total of 20 thousand tons of garlic will be sold at a low price by 21 business operators. For frozen buffalo meat, a total of 19 thousand tons will be taken from the stock of PT Berdikari (10 thousand tons) and PT PPI (9 thousand tons). Lastly, 100 thousand tons of rice will be distributed by Bulog throughout Indonesia.

As a result, the total target of affordable foodstuffs to be distributed by the government stands at 189 thousand tons in the form of sugar, garlic, frozen buffalo meat, and rice, in addition to 70 thousand kiloliters of cooking oil.

"The Indonesian police's Food Task Force will monitor the program implementation," said Arief.

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