Press Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia After Inspecting the Sukaramai Market, Medan, North Sumatra Province, August 19, 2023

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo):

Yes, I just wanted to monitor the prices of staple food. The prices were very good and cheap, such as shallots at Rp24,000, then I asked about a kilo of eggs, which is also very cheap at Rp22,000-Rp27,000.

And what makes me also pleased is that there are also mobile markets, mobile cheap markets, which I think can reduce prices of rice, oil, and sugar. This is such a good program in order to lower inflation rate in the city or in the province.

Reporter:

The impact of El Nino is not yet visible, is it?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo):

So far, we have not seen it yet, but we have to anticipate everything. This year’s imports must be increased for our strategic reserve to prevent price fluctuations from increasing drastically.

(RY/MUR)