Fruit prices<\/p>\n
From Media Indonesia<\/p>\n
A friend from Singapore and I went to a market near Jl. Gunung
\nSahari and Jl. Mangga Dua, Central Jakarta. We bought a Parung
\ndurian for Rp 10,000 each. My friend was taken aback by the stiff
\nprice. Having tasted the fruit he said it tasted about the same
\nas that of the durian in Singapore from Malaysia. The price is
\ncurrently low (S$1 = Rp 1,650), normally it is S$ 5. As it is,
\nthe price of durian in Jakarta is six times that in Singapore.<\/p>\n
My friend does not understand either why Pontianak oranges
\npriced at only Rp 500 (the same in Bangkok at 5 Baht) for the A-B
\ntype, are sold for Rp 3,500 to Rp 4,000 a kilogram in Jakarta.
\nOranges from Pakistan also cost Rp 4,000 a kilogram. To explain
\nthe situation I could only quote what businessman Sofyan Wanandi
\nsaid on television -- that the cause is the complexity of the
\ntrade and distribution network of oranges.<\/p>\n
We wonder indeed why imported fruit from the U.S., Australia,
\nTaiwan, Thailand and New Zealand are cheaper than local fruit,
\nwhile in those countries wages are much higher. Why do our
\nagronomists, from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture for example,
\nnot try to compete? In horticulture we should not expect
\ninvestment from conglomerates, because business in horticulture
\nis long term and not the same as property, which is a short term
\naffair. In my opinion the state-owned enterprises should actively
\nplant fruit trees so that by 2010 the harvest can be sold at less
\nthan imported fruit. Discounted transport fees from the state-
\nowned airlines Garuda and Merpati will be necessary for effective
\ndistribution. Thai Airways once participated in a similar program
\nin Thailand.<\/p>\n
Every year, toward Ramadhan, we import thousands of tons of
\ndates. Why do we not try to plant date palms in East Nusa
\nTenggara or Timor where the soil is more arid? California is now
\none of the biggest exporters of dates in the world.<\/p>\n
This is a challenge for our agronomists. In horticulture we
\nare indeed far behind our neighbor Thailand. Thai durian is
\nactually a cross between the Aceh and another Sumatran variety.<\/p>\n
LI TJENG OEN<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fruit-prices-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }