Food supply for holidays sufficient, says official

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)