Government Raises Reference Price for Buffalo Meat to Around Rp 90,000

JAKARTA - The government has decided to raise the Reference Sales Price (HAP) for frozen buffalo meat at the consumer level from Rp 80,000 to around Rp 90,000 per kilogram. Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) stated that the decision was taken during a coordination meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade. “This changes from the highest circulating price of around Rp 80,000 to a reference sales price that can be below Rp 90,000,” Zulhas said after the meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs office in Jakarta on Wednesday (22/4/2026). The high price of beef has altered consumer behaviour, prompting them to switch to buffalo meat. “Because when the price of this meat rises a bit, people usually switch to the cheaper option. As a result, the demand for buffalo meat has increased extraordinarily,” Zulhas explained. In addition to raising the buffalo meat price at the consumer level, the government has also increased the HAP for live cattle at the producer level from Rp 58,000 to Rp 59,000 per kilogram. Zulhas noted that the ongoing war in West Asia (Middle East) has made logistics costs expensive. Consequently, the prices of several imported food commodities have been pulled upwards, including live cattle imported from Australia. Nevertheless, the government is holding the HAP for beef at the consumer level steady at Rp 140,000 per kilogram. “So there is no change at all,” Zulhas remarked. If calculated, the price of Australian feeder cattle upon arrival in Indonesia reaches Rp 86,139 per kilogram for males and Rp 77,177 for females. When asked if raising the HAP by Rp 1,000 per kilogram is sufficient to cover the increased costs, Zulhas declined to elaborate. “That’s it anyway. Our decision is the highest retail price from Rp 58,000 to Rp 59,000 something. That’s all,” Zulhas said. “Beef in the market is still within the HAP (consumer). The HAP is Rp 130,000 to Rp 140,000,” he added.