Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto expressed eagerness to continually monitor the increase in prices of basic commodities in Bogor City during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and 2022 Eid al-Fitr period.

Sugiarto noted here on Thursday that a price surge in the city was recorded in almost all types of basic commodities, especially cooking oil and flour.

“We accompanied the deputy minister of trade two days ago to review the market, and indeed, the price increase is higher. However, according to the vice minister, compared to other regions, (the price increase in) Bogor City is lower and not too sharp,” he remarked.

Apart from the food prices, the availability of food has also become a concern for the Ministry of Trade and the Bogor city government, he stated.

Based on the review, food stocks are safe until Eid. However, the availability of bulk cooking oil is still quite rare.

He called for continuing to pay special attention to distribution chains in the event of a scarcity of bulk cooking oil in future.

“This is what I conveyed to the deputy minister because I saw the big impact on cooking oil traders, those trading in foodstuffs, foods, fried snacks, cakes, and others,” he expounded.

Earlier, Deputy Minister of Trade, Jerry Sambuaga, had affirmed the ministry’s commitment to continually monitoring and ensuring that food remains affordable and available during Ramadan and ahead of the Eid holidays.

“Almost every day, I visit traditional markets. We make sure from the vendors because we are committed to giving and ensuring that the prices are affordable, and the stocks are available,” the minister told reporters after reviewing food prices at Baru Market, Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday.

Sambuaga stated that the review conducted at the Baru Market showed that the availability of goods was quite high. However, several foodstuffs experienced price fluctuations though still deemed reasonable during Ramadan.

Source: Antara News