Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo commended the Makassar Agriculture Quarantine Agency’s initiative to organize a farmers’ market event to help residents meet their food needs during the Eid al-Fitr period.
“We need to appreciate this event because the presence of a bargain market like this could help residents fulfill their basic food needs,” Limpo said while opening the Farmers’ Market and Quality Food Bazaar event organized by the Makassar Agriculture Quarantine Agency Office, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday.
The event demonstrated the quarantine office’s firm commitment to fulfilling its duty as the institution in charge of food availability in South Sulawesi along with the province’s Food Resilience Office, he added.
He then affirmed his ministry’s commitment to optimizing the management of basic foods in Indonesia’s 34 provinces, including South Sumatra.
The ministry has also set up a team that will monitor the stocks of 12 basic foods—rice, corn, soybean, red chili, bird’s eye chili, onion, garlic, beef, chicken meat, chicken egg, sugar, and cooking oil, Limpo informed.
The team will comprise officials from the first and second echelons of the ministry who will cooperate with the provincial authorities to monitor the 12 basic food stocks in markets, he said.
Meanwhile, Makassar Agricultural Quarantine Office head Lutfie Nasir said that the event will be held for two days from April 27–28, 2022.
The event has involved relevant institutions in South Sulawesi, such as the Makassar Agricultural Office, South Sumatra Livestock Office, State Logistics Board’s (Bulog’s) South Sumatra Office, and distributors of basic foods, he added.
“The Farmers’ Market event is expected to help stabilize the prices of basic needs (in the region) before Eid al-Fitr,” Nasir remarked.
The event is being held simultaneously in Gowa, Jeneponto, Barru, Soppeng, North Luwu, and Enrekang districts, the office head said.
Source: Antara News