Goat, cow trading provides slight hope amid hardship
Goat, cow trading provides slight hope amid hardship
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
If you're passing through Jakarta's streets and all of a
sudden, you smell an unpleasant odor, don't be surprised. The
smell comes from goats and cows on sale for the upcoming Islamic
day of sacrifice, Idul Adha, which falls on Wednesday.
The smell, however, tell the story of the small hope traders
hold onto with this seasonal business, amid the suffocating
pressures on their already battered incomes.
"I hope to secure a greater profit this year than last year,"
Yanto, 45, a resident of Bumiayu Village in Brebes, Central Java,
told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Yanto said that he had brought 250 goats from Brebes, more
than a 20 percent increase from the 200 goats he brought last
year. The goats had been purchased with money collected by
himself and three neighbors.
Prices of a goat range from Rp 700,000 to Rp 1,650,000 each,
while a cow ranges between Rp 5.5 million to Rp 9 million each.
"We just want to make extra money to help us out during the
ongoing economic hardship," said Yanto, who oversees the
Pejompongan, Central Jakarta, corral, one of four seasonal
corrals selling sacrificial animals across the city. He said that
his 3-hectare rice paddy could not be expected to generate
profit.
Yanto revealed that many farmers in his village faced serious
economic hardships due to the falling prices of agricultural
goods. Clove, rice, vegetables and fruits are the main
agricultural yields in his village.
Farmers of clove trees for instance, Yanto said, had been
suffering from declining prices.
"The price of clove has drastically dropped to Rp 24,000
(US$2.7) per kilogram, from a hefty Rp 90,000 per kilogram in
2000 and 2001," said Yanto.
Rice farmers were facing a similar situation. While the prices
of fertilizer and pesticide had increased, the price of rice had
dropped, leaving farmers with hardly any profit.
Yanto said that the price of rice hovered at Rp 2,100 per
kilogram, far lower than the minimum price of Rp 3,100 per
kilogram needed to provide a meager profit to farmers.
"We even consider it fortunate if we manage to break even in
our gains," said Yanto.
The seasonal business of selling cows and goats during the
Idul Adha celebration is a way of survival for farmer-traders
like Yanto.
"Hopefully, we can make at least Rp 80,000 net profit from
each goat we sell," Yanto said, adding that he had been selling
cows and goats for Idul Adha since 1997.
But Yanto still worried that he could fail to make a profit
and instead, suffer losses owing to tighter competition.
"Many new players have joined the seasonal business. Those who
have larger financial backing will take the risk to sell at
cheaper prices, which is a blow to small players," said Yanto.
He recounted his bad experience in 2000 when he had to bring
20 goats back home. Most of the goats fell sick and died soon
after their return to the village, due to stress caused by being
transported and being displayed at the noisy roadside of the
city.
Another trader, Manu, 30, on Jl. KH Mas Mansyur, Central
Jakarta, said that besides the increasing number of traders the
business was also relatively sluggish this year.
The resident of Kebon Melati in Central Jakarta said that last
year, four days prior to the celebration, he had already sold 150
goats and had to order another 75 from Magelang (Central Java).
"Right now, with only two days left, I've only sold 30 goats
so far," he said.