East Java Governor outlines strategies to handle food inflation

Malang, Jawa Timur (ANTARA) - East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa drew attention to strategies to control food inflation in the region that should be supported through synergy among stakeholders.

Parawansa believes that food inflation can be controlled in the form of ensuring price affordability, supply availability, smooth distribution, and effective communication.

"The National Movement for Food Inflation Control (GNPIP) requires strong cooperation and commitment from all strategic elements in this country," she noted in Malang, East Java, on Wednesday.

The governor called to control food inflation across vertical and horizontal sectors. In a bid to control food inflation in East Java, Parawansa conducted active coordination across all ranks to create a new policy.

According to Parawansa, controlling food inflation will have a significant impact on the community, as it is directly related to the basic needs of the community. East Java's inflation in July 2022 was recorded to be quite high at 0.61 percent.

Inflation in the East Java region was triggered by rising prices for several food commodities, including chili. Red chilies and shallots had experienced a decline in prices, while eggs and chicken meat were still above the Highest Retail Price (HET), she remarked.

The high price of chicken eggs and chicken meat is due to the higher price of animal feed than the HET set by the government, Parawansa stated.

"We need to solve this problem in the form of a national macro policy that is a very important component," she affirmed.

The governor noted that regional heads should conduct effective intervention when inflation occurred. Hence, Parawansa pressed for clear regulatory guidelines from the central government for local governments in handling inflation issues.

"Hence, in controlling food inflation, we will take some additional steps with the East Java Inflation Control Team (TPID)," she affirmed.

Parawansa had taken several steps to overcome inflation in her region in the form of expanding Inter-Regional Cooperation (KAD) in East Java Province and other provinces, conducting targeted and measurable priority market operations, as well as digitizing food commodities from upstream to downstream.

The governor also affirmed that the East Java TPID will continue to coordinate and synergize with various parties in supporting efforts to control food inflation, both with districts and cities in East Java and with other provinces in Indonesia.