After Viral Egg Bath Protest, Poultry Farmers See Hope in Free Nutritious Meal Programme

Jakarta - After a viral protest where poultry farmers in Solo bathed in eggs, the industry is now seeing a glimmer of hope. The Secretary General of the National Poultry Farmers Organisation (GOPAN), Sugeng Wahyudi, confirmed that the protest was a genuine expression of farmer frustration over persistently low chicken and egg prices, coupled with rising feed costs.

However, Sugeng noted that the government’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme is starting to provide a positive outlook for the poultry industry. He believes the programme can increase demand for chicken meat and help reduce the oversupply that has been depressing farm-gate prices. ‘If MBG starts, there will definitely be an increase in demand, and it will help absorb the excess supply of chicken meat,’ he said on Wednesday.

Sugeng revealed that the selling price of live birds at the farm level is currently trending upwards, though it remains below the cost of production. ‘The price of live birds is currently around Rp18,000 to Rp19,000 per kg, while the cost of production is Rp20,500 per kg, so farmers are still not making a profit,’ he explained.

He also highlighted that the West Java Provincial Government, through its Food Security and Livestock Service, has begun mobilising its Free Nutritious Meal task force to absorb chicken production from local farmers. Despite this positive development, Sugeng cautioned that the industry remains vulnerable to rising production costs, particularly if global currency fluctuations drive up the price of imported feed ingredients.