Free Nutritious Meal Programme Resumes, Chicken and Egg Prices Rise in Cimahi
The selling price of chicken meat and eggs at Pasar Atas Baru, Cimahi City, West Java, has risen after previously falling during the period when the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme was temporarily suspended alongside the school holidays. The price increase has prompted complaints from traders.
As observed on Thursday (16/6/2026), chicken meat now costs Rp 35,000 per kilogram, whereas previously it was only Rp 26,000 per kilogram. The price of chicken eggs has likewise risen from Rp 22,000 to Rp 26,000 per kilogram.
“Yes, the price of chicken has gone up again to Rp 35,000–36,000 per kilogram. When MBG was suspended recently, the price dropped to Rp 25,000–26,000 per kilogram,” said Adang (53), a trader at Pasar Atas Baru, Cimahi City.
He does not know precisely what caused the rise in chicken meat prices. However, the change in price coincidentally occurred after the MBG programme resumed. During the school holidays, when the operations of the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) kitchens — the food suppliers for MBG — were suspended, chicken meat prices fell.
That situation boosted his daily meat sales, which sold briskly. But after prices rose following the resumption of MBG, Dadang’s chicken meat sales have slowed again, with buyers now dominated by regular customers only.
“Over the past two weeks when MBG was suspended, prices fell and, thank God, sales were very good. Now that prices have risen again, sales are quiet as they were before,” said Dadang.
As for supply, Dadang assured that stocks are very sufficient. He hopes the government will introduce a policy that brings chicken meat prices back to normal, as the current increase is less profitable for traders.
“I want prices to fall again because sales are better that way. When it’s expensive, sales suffer because the number of buyers declines,” said Dadang.
Rian (40), an egg trader at Pasar Atas Baru, said much the same. He was forced to raise egg prices again after they had fallen for two weeks while the MBG programme was temporarily suspended due to the school holidays.
“For the past two weeks prices fell during the school holidays, now they’ve risen again from Rp 22,000 to Rp 26,000 per kilogram. People say it’s because of MBG — when MBG was suspended, prices all fell, and now they’ve gone up again,” he said.