Consumers have beef with price rise

Consumers have beef with price rise

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The price of beef in traditional markets continued to soar on
Saturday and will likely keep increasing until the end of the
holiday season, resulting in disappointment for those customers
who find the prices to be beyond their means.

Lenny, 40, a housewife who was shopping in Palmerah market in
Central Jakarta, said on Saturday that the hikes had just added
another burden to her family in celebrating the Idul Fitri
holiday.

"It's too expensive. It's unaffordable. Before Ramadhan, the
price was usually around Rp 26,000 per kilogram, now it's around
Rp 36,000, and I think it will rise even more as Idul Fitri
approaches," she said.

A similar complaint was made by Andri, 20, who usually does
her shopping in Kebayoran market in South Jakarta. She said that
many people would not be able to afford beef if the price kept on
increasing.

"It used to be Rp 32,000, but now it has increased to Rp
38,000. I just can't afford it anymore," she said.

The prices of vegetables, meat and other staples normally
increase at the beginning of the Ramadhan fasting month due to
higher demand, as many people want to eat better food for the
breaking of the fast.

It is even thought that the price of beef could jump to
between Rp 50,000 and Rp 55,000, helped along by the imposition
of value added tax on imported beef.

One of the traders in Palmerah market, Jamad, 38, said that
price increases were common during Ramadhan. "It's just a
temporary hike," he said.

Because this happens every year, Asiah, 55, who was shopping
in Palmerah market, said she was not surprised.

She said she was tired of complaining about the rising prices
and, as an ordinary person, she tried to accept them as best she
could.

Meanwhile, McDonald's, a franchise restaurant many of whose
products use beef, has yet to respond to the beef price increase.

Trisno, the manager of the McDonald's in the Sarinah building,
Central Jakarta, said a McDonald's beefburger was still priced at
Rp 9,700.

The Coordinating Minister for Economics, Dorodjatun Kuntjoro
Jakti, called upon people to change their eating habits by
replacing beef with fish.

"I hope that fish will get more attention ... we had better
pay more attention to our own commodities," he was quoted by
Antara as saying when visiting the Muara Angke fish market in
North Jakarta early on Saturday.

For many families here, fish is not as popular as chicken and
beef.

He also appealed to beef importers to turn to the abundance of
fish that could easily be found in Indonesian waters. A total of
30 percent of the beef here is imported, he said.

On the other hand, the minister said that the high demand for
beef in the markets was a good sign in regard to the purchasing
power of the public.

As for the price increases, he said he had formed a team to
monitor the issue. Supplies will also be monitored closely to
ensure that there will be enough for the holiday season, which
this year includes Idul Fitri, Christmas and the New Year, he
said.