President Jokowi Monitors Staple Food Prices at Beran Market Ngawi

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visits Beran Market, Ngawi Regency, East Java, Saturday (11/03). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Beran traditional market in Ngawi Regency, East Java province, on Saturday (11/03) to monitor firsthand prices of staple food, including rice.

“What is the price of rice? Is this the “Bulog” one, how much is it?” the President asked Galih, one of the grocery store owners.

 “Rp9.200, Sir,” Galih replied.

“The Bulog rice is very helpful to the common people, Sir,” Galih added.

The Head of State also mentioned that SPHP rice from Bulog has a good quality.

In a separate statement, Galih mentioned that he sells medium quality rice for Rp10,500 per kg, while the SPHP rice from Bulog is Rp9,200 per kg. In his opinion, the Bulog rice is very helpful to the people.

SPHP (Stabilisasi Pasokan dan Harga Pangan – Stabilization of Food Supply and Prices) is a program of Bulog (State Logistics Agency) that aims to control rice price at the consumer level, which is performed by distributing rice from Bulog straight to retailers, not through big private distributors.

Besides monitoring staple food prices, the President also distributed social assistance and staple food assistance to the traders and visitors of the market. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/UN) (AY/MUR)