REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- After holding a coordination meeting at the agricultural ministry here on Friday, four relevant ministers have agreed to set up a team in charge of controlling food prices in the country.

Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, Trade Minister Thomas Lembong, Industry Minister Saleh Husin, and Minister of Cooperatives and Small-Scale Enterprises Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga reached the decision.

"The team formed is complete with members, including echelon I and II officials. We want the team to continue to work not only during the current fasting month of Ramadan but also thereafter," Minister Sulaiman stated on the sidelines of the coordination meeting.

Amran said one of the team's priorities would be to control food prices by streamlining the supply chains from upstream to the downstream areas. Thereby, he said, farmers, traders, and consumers would be able to enjoy equitable benefits.

Besides this, the team is also tasked with securing food supplies and formulating a new concept of food market structure.

Trade Minister Lembong affirmed that cooperation between the four ministers constituted a step ahead.

"A problem in a ministry is a shared responsibility. There should be no blame game," he pointed out.

Minister Husin concurred with Lembong, saying the government was ready to shorten the food supply chain to bring down the prices offered to consumers to a realistic level.

The coordination meeting was also attended by officials from the state-enterprises ministry, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as representatives of food organizations.

Several agreements were reached during the coordination meeting, with the first holding the agriculture ministry responsible for ensuring the availability of food supplies through increasing the production and capacity of farmers, farmer groups, and organizations of farmer groups.

According to the second agreement, the Ministry of Industry will be tasked with developing the primary food industry, processing food commodities, and coordinating with industry businesses.

The third agreement states that the trade ministry will focus on food distribution; control prices and supply chains; and facilitate coordination among market players to ensure price stability.

The fourth agreement emphasizes that the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprises will develop the cooperatives institutional sector.

Fifth, the state-enterprises ministry will provide guidance to state companies to increase their stocks and enhance market operations.

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