Consumer body urges control of food prices

Consumer body urges control of food prices

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) has
criticized the city administration for failing to effectively
preempt rising prices of food staples and other goods ahead of
the Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

Zoemrotin K. Soesilo, YLKI chairwoman, told The Jakarta Post
yesterday that rice, sugar, meat, flour, oil and salted fish are
among nine food staples the prices of which should have been
better controlled by the administration.

"The government should have anticipated the price increase,
which happens prior to annual festivities like Idul Fitri,
Christmas and New Year," she said.

The city economic bureau announced yesterday that the second
week of this month had seen city food prices rising in response
to increasing demand.

The bureau reported that the price of rice was 5 percent
higher than in the previous week. The price of the popular
Cisadane variety of rice increased from Rp 1,062 per kilogram to
Rp 1,125, the bureau said.

The price of sugar was 1.5 percent higher at Rp 1,500 per kg,
up from Rp 1,477 per kg; while salted fish was 16 percent higher
than in the previous week, having risen from Rp 3,555 to Rp 4,137
per kg.

The bureau reported that, due to the Christmas and year's end
holidays, the demand for meat, chicken, eggs, vegetables and
fruit had increased by between 10 and 30 percent.

Demand for meat was up by 15 percent, from 100 tons to 115
tons per day, with the price of beef currently Rp 7,750 per kg,
or 3 percent higher than in the first week of this month.

Demand for chicken and eggs was 30 percent higher than usual,
up 25 percent from 300 tons to 400 tons per day. The price of
chicken was reported as Rp 4,359 per kg, a rise of Rp 132. Egg
prices were said to be Rp 2,300 per kg, as compared with Rp 2,293
per kg previously.

City officials say they have conducted market operations to
deal with the increases in food prices.

However, Zoemrotin said such operations would not help control
prices. "What can the officials do after the price hikes have
already happened?" she asked.

The economic bureau also reported that during this month the
demand for vegetables is 10 percent higher than usual, having
risen from 1,500 tons to 1,650 tons per day. The demand for red
onions was reported as 20 percent higher than usual, up from a 97
tons to 117 tons daily.

The price of tomatoes increased 36 percent from Rp 2,043 per
kg to Rp 2,786, while the price of red onions is now 16 percent
higher, having increased from Rp 3,343 per kg to Rp 3,904.

Demand for vegetables has increased by 20 percent, from 400
tons to 480 tons per day.

The report was based on routine observation of prices in eight
markets in the city: Tanah Abang, Jembatan Lima, Jatinegara,
Senen, Grogol, Kebayoran Lama, Tanjung Barat and Anyer Bahari.

The bureau reported that, since Dec. 20, the prices of rice,
oil and sugar have also increased.

According to the bureau, 90 percent of the food sold in
Jakarta are supplied from outside the municipal boundaries;
principally from West and Central Java. It said that heavy rains
had caused production to fall and had also hampered distribution.

The city administration said that, to anticipate the high
demand during this year's Christmas and year's end holidays, as
well as the Idul Fitri next year, it has ordered the transport
from other regions.

The provinces from which food is to be brought in to the
capital are North Sumatra (the Deli Serdang, Karo, Simalungun and
Binjai regencies), East Java (the Probolinggo, Pasuruan and
Malang regencies) and Bali (the Karangasem, Tabanan regencies and
Denpasar townships).(yns)