Tasikmalaya (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka on Tuesday inspected Cikurubuk Market, the main wholesale market in the West Java city of Tasikmalaya, to ensure food prices remain stable and supplies adequate for consumers, officials said.The visit followed instructions from President Prabowo Subianto for central and regional authorities to safeguard affordable food prices while strengthening traditional markets as pillars of the people’s economy.Gibran toured stalls selling vegetables, fish and household staples, monitoring prices and availability and speaking directly with traders and shoppers about current market conditions.He stressed the need for gradual upgrades to market infrastructure, particularly in cleanliness, layout and visitor comfort, to smooth trading activity and boost public confidence in traditional markets.The vice president also urged stronger coordination between central and local governments to keep distribution flowing, secure sufficient supplies and prevent hoarding that could disrupt price stability.In the same briefing, Deri Herlisana, head of the city’s Market I management unit, said food prices at Cikurubuk remained broadly under control.“Prices, especially for chicken, are relatively stable and supplies are sufficient to meet consumer demand,” Deri said.He added that freshwater fish supplies were also secure, as Tasikmalaya is a major producing area capable of meeting market needs.“Freshwater fish availability is relatively safe because Tasikmalaya is one of the producing regions, both from local fisheries and nearby suppliers,” he said.Traders welcomed the vice president’s visit, including Ela, a vegetable seller who expressed gratitude for the government’s attention to traditional markets.“Thank God, I am very happy and did not expect the vice president to come and shop here directly. As small traders, we feel truly cared for,” she said.Cikurubuk Market is the largest traditional market in eastern Priangan, West Java, hosting around 5,000 traders daily and serving as a key food distribution hub for Tasikmalaya and surrounding areas.Gibran arrived in Tasikmalaya on a BAe RJ85 aircraft from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta at 7:45 a.m. local time, proceeding directly to the market to greet traders and absorb feedback on prices and distribution.From the market, he continued his working visit to Dr Soekardjo Regional Hospital, the main referral hospital in eastern Priangan, followed by a stop at State Senior High School 2 in Tasikmalaya.The main agenda of the trip included a visit to Cipasung Islamic boarding school, where he met cleric KH Deni Ramdani Sagara.There, Gibran watched students present projects and innovations in artificial intelligence and robotics and toured training facilities that integrate Islamic values with technological advancement.After completing the visit, the vice president returned to Jakarta.