Deputy Minister Vows Firm Action Against Businesses Harming Chicken and Egg Farmers
“We will not hesitate to impose sanctions, even bringing matters into the criminal sphere, if we find businesses proven to be taking unfair advantage and harming farmers as well as the public,” the Deputy Agriculture Minister said in an official statement in Jakarta on Friday.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Agriculture Minister Sudaryono has assured that the government will take firm action against businesses that harm chicken and egg farmers, in order to protect farmers’ welfare, safeguard healthy business competition and maintain price stability.
Deputy Minister Sudaryono, familiarly known as Mas Dar, made the statement after attending a working meeting with Commission IV of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) in Jakarta.
He said the Ministry of Agriculture continues to strengthen measures to stabilise the prices of live chickens and laid eggs at the farm level.
“Beyond encouraging a balance between supply and demand, we will not be soft on anyone taking unfair profits,” he said.
According to him, the government is currently focused on returning live chicken and egg prices to reasonable levels so that farmers can once again earn healthy profits without burdening the public as consumers.
“What worries us is that certain parties may seek profit amid a situation like this. Consumer-level prices have actually not fallen as deeply as the prices farmers receive,” he said.
For this reason, his ministry is conducting surveillance together with the Food Task Force and law enforcement agencies.
He explained that the Ministry of Agriculture has coordinated with various parties, from businesses and associations to law enforcement, to ensure the distribution chain operates fairly.
The government will show appreciation to businesses that comply with the rules, but will not hesitate to impose sanctions on those proven to have committed violations.
“If violations are indeed found, especially those with criminal elements, we will certainly process them according to the rules. This concerns the livelihoods of many people, both farmers and consumers,” he asserted.
Sudaryono stressed that the government is present to maintain a balance in chicken and egg prices so that farmers obtain decent profits while the public continues to receive affordable food prices.
“We all live under one roof, Indonesia. No one should be harmed. Farmers must profit, but consumers must not be disadvantaged either,” he said.
Previously, the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the Indonesian Farmers’ Harmony Association (HKTI), farmer associations, businesses and various poultry sector stakeholders, held a poultry consultative forum.
The forum was convened in response to falling broiler chicken and egg prices at the farm level, which have recently been below production costs. This situation was deemed to require urgent resolution to preserve the sustainability of smallholder farming businesses.
One of the key decisions from the forum was the setting of a live bird (live broiler chicken) price of Rp19,500 per kilogram and a laid egg price of Rp24,000 per kilogram at the farm level, effective 15 July 2026.
Director General of Livestock and Animal Health at the Ministry of Agriculture, Agung Suganda, said the current price decline is influenced by an imbalance between supply and demand.
He acknowledged that when supply is abundant while demand falls, prices automatically follow suit. His office is therefore maintaining a balance between supply and demand through various short-, medium- and long-term measures so that farm-level prices do not fall below production costs.
“That is why chicken and egg prices must not be too expensive, but also not too cheap. The state is present to safeguard that balance,” he said.