Jakartans hurt by customary price increase at markets

Jakartans hurt by customary price increase at markets

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Menik, a housewife from the Kalibata area of South Jakarta, could
not hide her disappointment when she heard the new prices for
vegetables and spices at the nearby Pasar Minggu traditional
market.

"That is way too expensive. They've gone up too much," she
complained bitterly as she attempted to bargain for lower prices.

She was one of the many Jakartans who made their final big
shopping trip early on Wednesday in preparation for a special
dinner to close the holy month of Ramadhan. She is celebrating
the Islamic new year, Idul Fitri, on Thursday, even though some
families will have their festivities on Friday.

The rise in the price of meat and vegetables during Ramadhan,
and especially near Idul Fitri, has become an annual occurrence,
due to the increase in demand. A price jump of up to 40 percent
is common.

But this year, the price of several particular spices and
vegetables has risen from 50 percent to nearly double the price,
forcing some shoppers to leave the market with half-empty bags.

A cup of red beans, which is usually added to oxtail soup or
rendang (meat cooked in spices and coconut milk), for example,
now sells for Rp 4,000 (about US 45 cents) per 250 grams although
it was only Rp 2,000 three days ago.

Before Ramadhan, a kilogram of red chili was worth Rp 15,000.
Last week, it sold for between Rp 16,000 and Rp 17,000 per
kilogram. This week, the price for chili has shot through the
roof, with vendors charging between Rp 22,000 and Rp 24,000 per
kilogram, depending on its quality, at Kramat Jati market in East
Jakarta and Pasar Minggu market.

The head of the Jakarta Bureau of Economics Administration,
Sukri Bey, told Antara that the eruption of Mt. Papandayan in
Garut, West Java, was to blame for the price increases as it had
ruined crops in the area and hindered the transportation of
vegetables west of Indramayu, West Java, and Rembang, Central
Java.

However, some vendors did not agree.

"I got these goods from Bogor and Cibitung. The price rise had
nothing to do with Papandayan. It's normal," Asep, a vendor at
Kramat Jati market, told The Jakarta Post.

Although the jump in price for chicken and beef is only about
10 percent, the hike has put a damper on festivities for families
who were looking forward to putting them on the table.

Before Ramadhan, a whole chicken went for Rp 13,000, but now
it is Rp 15,000. A kilogram of flank steak, usually priced at Rp
35,000, is selling for Rp 40,000, while one kilogram of sirloin
steak is Rp 44,000.

Endah, who lives near Kramat Jati market, said at least one
kilogram of sirloin was needed to make rendang, but she was
thinking of only buying half and then using a cheaper cut of meat
to stretch her budget.

She said the price hike had taught her a way around a higher
grocery bill. "It would be cheaper if we bought in large
quantities at the Kramat Jati wholesale market. But then the
shopping would have to be done early in the morning and we would
have to organize it with our neighbors in how to divide the
meat," she said.