Butchers, poulterers guarantee supply for Idul Fitri
Butchers, poulterers guarantee supply for Idul Fitri
JAKARTA (JP): Markets in Jakarta have sufficient supplies of
beef and chicken to meet demand ahead of and during this
weekend's Idul Fitri holiday, butchers and poulterers said on
Wednesday.
The price of beef and chicken has already risen, they said,
but because there is no shortage of supplies these price rises
are likely to be dampened.
The price of beef in three markets -- Kramat Jati in East
Jakarta, Cikini in Central Jakarta and PSPT Tebet in South
Jakarta -- ranged from between Rp 30,000 and Rp 40,000 per
kilogram on Wednesday, compared to an average of Rp 26,000 per
kilogram on normal days.
Traders said the prices would continue to rise, increasing
daily by an average of Rp 2,000 per kilogram in the week leading
up to Idul Fitri.
Daily beef demand during Idul Fitri traditionally doubles or
triples over the level of demand at other times of the year.
Most butchers in the markets said they procured their beef
from the government-owned cattle feedlot and slaughterhouse in
Cakung, East Jakarta. The Cakung facility, which receives its
cattle from eastern Indonesia, supplies most of the meat for
Greater Jakarta.
Indonesian beef is more popular among Jakartans than higher
grade Australian beef, even when the Australian beef is Rp 4,000
per kilogram cheaper, Tubagus Sutrisna, a butcher at Pasar
Cikini, said.
He said Indonesians were more confident the local meat was
halal (allowed under Islamic law). "Local products are sought
after because they are always processed and cultivated using
techniques that are in harmony with Islamic standards."
He said he was tripling his procurement of beef to 150
kilograms a day for the next three days to meet growing demand.
Most poulterers in Jakarta's main markets purchase chickens
from poultry farms in Kebon Kelapa, Cileungsi and Cibinong in
Bogor.
Demand for chicken traditionally doubles during Idul Fitri,
and prices this year have ranged from between Rp 12,000 and Rp
15,000 per kilogram compared to the usual price of Rp 9,000 per
kilogram.
"Prices could increase by an average of Rp 1,500 a day in the
week before Idul Fitri," Ngatirah, a poulterer in Pasar Cikini,
said, adding however that prices should not exceed Rp 15,000 per
kilogram.
The Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to ensure
sufficient beef supplies for the capital, bringing in livestock
from other provinces and importing beef from Australia and
Ireland.
The ministry predicted some 9,568 tons of beef would be
consumed by residents of Greater Jakarta during the 50-day period
covering the fasting month of Ramadhan, Christmas, New Year's and
Idul Fitri.
To government has ordered 12,000 tons of beef for this period
to keep a lid on the price increases which most years accompany
the surge in demand.
The government has also procured 26 million chickens from
poultry farms in Java and Lampung to meet demand and stabilize
prices at between Rp 12,000 and Rp 15,000 per kilogram.(06)