Central Java Poultry Farmers Protest Low Egg Prices in Free Nutritious Meal Programme
The Chairman of the Prosperous Poultry Farmers Cooperative (KPUS) of Central Java, Suwardi, has criticised the purchase of eggs by the Nutritional Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) at prices below the government’s reference price (HAP). He asserted that this practice is detrimental to farming groups.
Speaking at a coordination meeting on the absorption of local raw materials for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme at the Central Java Governor’s Office in Semarang on Friday (19/6/2026), Suwardi questioned the pricing discrepancies. “I just want to ask the MBG management, especially the coordinators, regarding purchases. Why do some SPPG commit to buying eggs for Rp 26,000 per kilogram, while others pay Rp 21,000? What is going on here?” he said.
He claimed to have received reports that his members’ egg products were being bought below the HAP. KPUS Central Java has 1,767 farmer members spread across 10 districts/cities. During the meeting, Suwardi stated he could reveal which SPPGs were purchasing eggs below the reference price. “The six SPPGs I supply buy at Rp 26,000, and that has never changed. But besides those, in the same sub-district, there are others paying Rp 21,000 to Rp 22,000. If we want to audit this together, what is the basis for buying at such low prices?” Suwardi said.
He suspects there are individuals manipulating the egg purchases by the SPPG. “The Ministry of Agriculture and the National Food Agency (Bapanas) have set the farm-gate HAP at Rp 26,500. Yet the SPPG, which manages state funds, is buying at Rp 21,000 to Rp 22,000. What is happening?” he questioned. “Please cross-check each SPPG that buys at Rp 22,000, and find out how much they are paid by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). If this is what is happening, it is not a mutually supportive relationship, but rather trampling on each other,” Suwardi added.
He questioned who should comply with the HAP if it is being ignored in such a manner. Suwardi hopes the matter can be rectified, especially as operational costs borne by farmers have soared due to rising animal feed prices. “We hope, and we are not making excessive demands, but our economic conditions are not good. Today the dollar is up, and feed prices are also up. Feed prices have risen four times in two months. The HAP has not changed, and instead the price we receive has fallen,” Suwardi stated.
He expressed hope that the egg price for the MBG programme could be set at Rp 26,000 per kilogram. “This is still below the HAP, because the HAP is Rp 26,500. So we need to protect each other so that farmers can survive. The government’s distribution needs for MBG have a retail ceiling price at BGN of Rp 30,000 for eggs. If I sell at Rp 26,000, there is still a margin of Rp 4,000, as long as it is not taken by the cooperative holding the MBG contract. Because today, those who are playing games in MBG, the coordinators might know but pretend not to,” he said.
The coordination meeting on local raw material absorption for the MBG programme was chaired by Central Java Deputy Governor Taj Yasin. The meeting was also attended by BGN Central Java Regional Head Reza Mahendra, BGN Director of Community Empowerment and Participation Tengku Syahdana, Director of Livestock Breeding and Production at the Ministry of Agriculture Hary Suhada, and Director of Food Supply and Price Stabilisation at Bapanas Maino Dwi Hartono.