Fruit sales up by 60% during election
Fruit sales up by 60% during election
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
The political campaigns, the complicated voting process on April
5 and the vote counting have apparently brought good fortune to
dozens of fruit sellers at the Gamping market in Sleman regency,
Yogyakarta.
Fruit sales at the biggest fruit market in southern Java have
seen a significant increase of up to 60 percent.
Head of the market, Edy Subagyo, said fruit sales had begun to
increase a few days before the start of the campaign period on
March 11. He estimated that the demand for fruit at the market
would remain high until the end of the ballot counting on April
26.
On average, the 58 fruit wholesalers at the market purchased
30 trucks of fruit a day, Edy said.
A truck load of fruit weighs 10 tons on average and cost
approximately Rp 30 million (US$3,500.00). In other words, fruit
transactions usually amount to 300 tons daily, or Rp 900 million.
"But since the start of campaigns, there has been a notable
increase of some 60 percent in transactions. On average, 50
trucks of fruit are now unloaded at the market," he told The
Jakarta Post a few days ago.
He added that the increase was probably related to the
elections as legislative candidates worked long hours during this
period. Fruit traders also claimed that political parties held
late night gatherings at which much fruit was consumed. Edy said
that sometimes it was difficult to meet the demand.
Musbandi, a fruit seller at the market, added that the high
demand for fruit was noticeable in the south of Java and several
regions outside of Java, such as Jambi, Sulawesi and North
Sumatra. He said that most fruit sellers in those areas were
supplied by the market.
Despite the increased demand, the price of fruit remains
stable. One kilogram of oranges costs between Rp 2,500 and Rp
6,000, depending on the size of the fruit.
Watermelons and melons are priced at between Rp 1,000 to Rp
2,000 a kilogram.
Another seller, Kusyati, added that her profits had also
significantly increased. But the wholesaler, who is a native of
Yogyakarta, admitted that she didn't really know by how much.
"Sometimes, I can sell 10 tons of fruit in a week, while other
times, to sell even two tons in two weeks is hard. But during the
election period, everything is sold out. I could sell an average
of three tons of fruit daily," said Kusyati.