Food supply for holidays sufficient, says official

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta has a sufficient supply of basic commodities for the upcoming Christmas, New Year's and Idul Fitri celebrations, a city official said on Wednesday.

"It has become usual that demand for basic commodities increases by between 10 and 39 percent during the holidays. But our supply will be enough to meet the demand," the head of the logistics and distribution subdivision of the city's regional economic bureau, Djodjo Sutardjo, said.

Data from the bureau shows that as of Nov. 22, the city's logistics agency had 259,746 tons of rice, 390 tons of sugar and 563 tons of soybean.

"The data does not include the rice supply at Cipinang wholesale rice market in East Jakarta, where 18,000 tons of rice is supplied each day," Djodjo said.

He said the city administration was coordinating with suppliers in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and West Java to anticipate an increased demand for basic commodities.

"We will also establish markets in the city's five mayoralties which will sell basic commodities at lower prices, and special markets for the poor.

"So people should not worry about a dearth of basic commodities during the holidays," he said.

The bureau's data also shows that Jakarta residents require 3,000 tons of rice, 500 tons of cooking oil, 1,000 cows and buffaloes and 425 tons of eggs each day.

In addition, 550 tons of fish, 1,300 tons of vegetables, 400 tons of fruit, 200,000 coconuts and 1,080 tons of flour are required by the city each day.

Djodjo, however, said that although the supply of basic commodities was sufficient, the city administration could not guarantee prices would not increase during the holidays.

"It is normal that prices will rise with the increasing demand. The price hikes, however, should not be that high... let's say less than 10 percent," he said.

It is common in Jakarta for the prices of basic commodities to rise during the holidays. Prices usually begin to climb at the beginning of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, which falls on Dec. 9 this year.

No plan

While the city administration prepares for the holidays, activity at the city's traditional markets has yet to pick up.

A number of vendors at the markets said the prices of basic commodities had remained stable during the week.

"Sugar was the only commodity which saw a significant price increase of Rp 600 per kilogram.

"Meanwhile, other commodities have not climbed much; only about Rp 200 to Rp 500," Sardiwan, a vendor at Jatinegara market in East Jakarta, said.

Sardiwan said traders did not expect prices to rise significantly during the holidays.

"We have trouble coping with customers who complain about the increases," he said.

A trader at Palmerah market in Central Jakarta said he was frightened by the prospect of violence if the prices of basic commodities increased.

"A couple of days ago there was a customer who threatened to burn the market down again if he had to pay more for sugar," he said.

The city-owned Palmerah market was one of the markets which were burned down during the May riots last year. (ind)