Business sluggish after price hikes

JAKARTA (JP): Many traders of essential goods in East and South Jakarta reported yesterday that business was sluggish after prices went up yet again due to Tuesday's fuel price hikes.

The new fuel prices have jacked up rental fees for trucks used to carry commodities into Jakarta.

"It's another quiet day today," said Ida, a trader at Rawamangun market in East Jakarta. "It seems that people are being extremely careful about how they spend their money."

Market food prices went up significantly yesterday, Antara reported.

Cooking oil prices rose from Rp 3,400 per kg to Rp 3,600 per kg, enriched cooking oil from Rp 5,200 per kg to Rp 5,600 per kg, imported sugar from Rp 2,100 per kg to Rp 2,400 per kg and wheat flour from Rp 1,800 per kg to Rp 2,000 per kg.

Sis, a chicken vendor, said that over the past two days, she could sell only 200 chickens a day compared to 500 a day before the latest price hikes.

A similar account was reported by Bahri, a rice trader at Pasar Minggu market in South Jakarta.

"Few customers came here today. I'm not sure why," she said. (pan)