Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia's Ministry of Trade confirmed that the government has opted to import garlic, with consignments expected to arrive soon in a bid to curb rising domestic prices ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.Director General of Domestic Trade Iqbal Shoffan Shofwan noted in Jakarta on Thursday that the government has issued import clearances to businesses registered in the Indonesian National Single Window system.”Garlic shipments are expected to arrive at Tanjung Priok Port (North Jakarta) by the end of January or early February. We intend these additional supplies to help bring prices closer to the government's reference level,” he said.The official pointed out that the government had determined pricing anticipatory measures were necessary for garlic following a coordination meeting between ministries and state agencies. Import permits were therefore issued to address the matter.”There is no need for concern, as garlic shipments will arrive by late January or early February,” Shofwan reiterated.Earlier, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) reported that the nationwide average garlic price rose to Rp39,810 per kilogram (US$1 ≈ Rp16,700) in the fourth week of January, surpassing the government’s consumer-level reference of Rp38,000 per kilogram.Speaking in Jakarta on Tuesday (Jan. 27), BPS Head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti said that 208 districts and cities across the country have experienced rising garlic prices since December last year.She added that the highest prices—reaching about Rp100,000 per kilogram—were recorded in Puncak Jaya, Intan Jaya, and Pegunungan Bintang districts in Highland Papua Province.Price increases have also been observed in Natuna District, Riau Islands; South Halmahera District, North Maluku; East Flores District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT); Rote Ndao, NTT; and Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, among other regions.