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.