Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2014 Trade Minister Budi Santoso has affirmed that the\nFree Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme has not triggered a rise in\nbroiler chicken prices at market.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Ministry of Trade offices in Jakarta on Wednesday,\nBudi said the programme had made production more measurable owing to\nguaranteed demand, which in turn had kept prices relatively stable.<\/p>\n
He explained that previous chicken price fluctuations were largely\ndriven by unpredictable market demand. When demand was erratic,\nproduction would adjust accordingly, making prices volatile.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreviously, prices went up and down because demand went up and down.\nNow that demand is on an upward trajectory, there is certainty.\nProduction follows suit in a linear fashion, tracking demand, so prices\nactually tend to be stable,\u201d Budi said.<\/p>\n
He urged the public to look at pricing conditions holistically,\nstressing that there had been no sudden spike in chicken prices as a\nresult of the MBG programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas there been a sudden price surge because of MBG? There hasn\u2019t \u2014\nall prices are in good shape,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Trade Minister said he had held discussions with business\noperators, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as\nwell as chicken producers. Those consultations revealed that the\ncertainty of demand generated by the MBG programme was in fact helping\nthem increase production consistently.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he said the government was ensuring that price and\nsupply monitoring would continue in order to maintain stability,\nparticularly ahead of the major religious holidays of Ramadan and Eid\nal-Fitr.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is actually beneficial, because our production keeps increasing\nand it is assured because demand has become certain. Previously, demand\nfluctuated depending on the market,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Market and Essential Commodities\nMonitoring System (SP2KP) as of 13 February 2026, broiler chicken was\nrecorded at Rp40,259 per kilogram. Free-range chicken eggs stood at\nRp30,570 per kilogram, medium-sized eggs at Rp13,640 per kilogram,\nMinyaKita cooking oil at Rp16,020 per litre, and bird\u2019s eye chilli at\nRp73,609 per kilogram.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trade-minister-free-nutritious-meals-programme-has-not-driven-up-chicken-prices-1771467209", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }