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February 18, 2025 | 03:08 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tommy Andana, Expert Staff of Business Climate and Market Security at the Ministry of Trade, revealed that importers have yet to realize the import quota for garlic. He suspects the lack of import realization has caused the garlic prices to increase in anticipation of Ramadan.
According to the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Price Panel, the national average price of this staple food has now reached Rp42,904 and Rp51,530 per kilogram in Eastern Indonesia. This price exceeds the reference selling price of Rp38,000 and Rp40,000 per kilogram.
"The import approval for garlic has been issued. However, there has been no realization so far," said Tommy during the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemdagri) Inflation Control Coordination Meeting broadcasted online on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Thus, Tommy stated that Kemendag will remind importers to promptly realize their import quotas. This warning is particularly targeted at importers who have obtained large quotas.
Based on the presentation materials from Kemendag as seen by Tempo, in accordance with the limited coordination meeting (rakortas) in the food sector on December 9, 2024, the initial stock of garlic at the beginning of the year was 53,484 tons. With this stock, the government estimated a production of 23,141 and a decrease of 10,583 tons.
The national demand for garlic per month is 54,478 tons, or 653,739 tons per year. With an estimated year-end stock of 6,206 tons, the government allocated the need for import to be 550,000 tons.
From this quota, Kemendag has issued import approvals for 117,612 tons. There has been no import realized from this quota. Meanwhile, last year, import approvals were issued for the import of 589,720 tons of garlic. 545,015 tons or 95.81 percent of it was realized.
Not only urging importers to promptly realize their quotas, the presentation materials also stated that the government will also determine the allocation of this food import assignment for the government's food reserves.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, agrees that importers need to promptly realize their import quotas to control prices. He firmly believs that the issue of garlic prices still depends on importation.
"If the realization is delayed or intentionally delayed so that the goods only enter the market after prices rise to gain high profits, the public will face difficulties," said the former police chief.
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