March 24, 2026 | 10:15 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Grace initially planned to pick up a broken air-conditioning unit at the Surakarta City Police office in Central Java on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Instead, the air-conditioning service provider found herself drawn into a crowd at a bazaar titled the Cheap Food Movement, held in the courtyard of the police compound.
That day the police set up 15 white tent stalls with long tables. At the stalls, officers displayed a variety of staple goods. Among them were sacks of rice bearing the SPHP label—short for Food Supply and Price Stabilization. “I decided to buy some because the price is fairly cheap,” said Grace, 26.
Grace said the rice sold at the police compound cost less than that offered by retail traders. She said SPHP rice is usually priced at Rp60,000 (about US$3.53) for a 5-kilogram package. But she paid only Rp55,000 (US$3.23) when buying it at the police bazaar. The same went for cooking oil branded MinyaKita from the Ministry of Trade, which sold for Rp15,000 (US$0.83) per liter.
Promotions for the food operation at the Surakarta City Police circulated through various channels. One of them was public announcements during the weekly car-free day every Sunday along Jalan Slamet Riyadi. The method successfully attracted visitors such as Sriwanti Lestari.
Trade Minister Inspects Prices of Basic Commodities at Bogor Market
18 Maret 2024
Minister of Trade Zukifli Hasan visited the Kebon Kembang Market in Bogor City, West Java Province, to inspect the prices of basic commodities.
