Amran Names Distributors as the Main Culprits Behind Expensive Beef and Chicken

Andi Amran Sulaiman, head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), said that the prices of beef and chicken have surged recently due to manipulation by distributors. Amran asserted that the middlemen or traders between producers and retailers raised the price of these protein sources. “We just told you, the ones who raise the price are the middlemen,” Amran said during an interview at the Bulog Warehouse Complex, Kanwil DKI & Banten, North Jakarta, on Wednesday (4 February 2026).

He noted that ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, distributors raised the price of beef by Rp 22,000 to Rp 23,000 per kilogram compared with ordinary days. This caused beef and chicken to be sold by retailers above the Consumer Price Reference (HAP). Bapanas has set HAP prices at Rp 140,000 per kilogram for beef hindquarters and Rp 40,000 per kilogram for chicken. “The beef price was increased by Rp 22,000-Rp 23,000 per kilo. The price of chicken was raised by Rp 8,000 for the largest distributors,” Amran said.

Consequently, the government has taken firm steps to revoke the licenses of those rogue distributors. “Seal it, close it. I take responsibility,” Amran stated.

According to data from the Ministry of Trade’s Market Monitoring and Staple Needs System (SP2KP) as of 4 March, the national average price of beef hindquarters was Rp 135,293 per kilogram. Meanwhile, the average price of broiler chicken was Rp 40,192 per kilogram, slightly above the HAP.