Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - Bengkulu`s provincial trade authorities will soon conduct market operations to stabilize fluctuating rice prices at local markets.
Local trade and industry office chief Karatul Aini said here on Tuesday people in Bangkulu, especially those in the low- and middle-income brackets , had started to complain about rice price hikes at several markets.
"Our plan to intervene in the rice market is still being discussed with other related institutions but we will do it soon," Karatul Aini said. Retailers were now raising their rice prices almost every day, he noted.
To help low-income people cope with the rice problem, the local administration would soon conduct market operations to keep prices at a level affordable to them.
Meanwhile, an assistant to the Bengkulu governor, Fauzan Rahim, said on a separate occasion, the local government was now preparing the funds needed to conduct the rice market operations in the near future.
"We also continue to monitor the price situation at local markets and if prices go up steeply in the next two weeks, the market operations will be speeded up," Fauzan Rahim said.
Fauzan said the market operations were intended to stabilize rice prices and reduce people`s anxiety about the fluctuating prices.
He said rice price hikes were occurring not only in Bengkulu but also in other parts of Indonesia because the prices were influenced by the season change.
Lia, a Benkulu resident, said rice from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) was sold earlier by retailers at the price of Rp5,460 per kilogram, but as of Monday, January 25, 2009, it gradually edged up to Rp8,000 per kilogram.
"In such a difficult situation , we want the government to immediately do something about the price rises to alleviate our misery," Lia said here on Tuesday. (*)
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