The Indonesian Trade Ministry set the reference prices for a number of basic food items, including rice, maize and soybeans on 9 September through a Ministerial Regulation. For each food item, two reference prices are set; a floor (minimum) price intended to protect farmers against sharp drops in market prices and a ceiling (maximum) price to protect consumers against exceptionally high prices. The reference prices are valid four months. The floor price for rice was set at IDR 7 300 (USD 0.55) per kg while the ceiling price at IDR 9 500 (USD 0.72) per kg. The measure aims to prevent excessive volatility and keep prices of basic commodities stable.