Legislator Supports Agriculture Minister in Stabilising Farm-Level Egg Prices

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Herry Dermawan, supports the steps taken by the Minister of Agriculture and Head of the National Food Agency, Andi Amran Sulaiman, to stabilise chicken egg prices at the producer level in order to maintain sustainability and improve the economy of small-scale farmers. During a working meeting of Commission IV with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Food Agency in Jakarta on Wednesday, Herry expressed appreciation for the minister’s firmness in stabilising the prices of eggs and live chickens. “Thank you, Mr Minister. Your firmness is evident in the handling of egg and live chicken prices that farmers had complained about,” said Herry. He revealed that various measures undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture in recent times have begun to show tangible results. One of these is the improvement in the price of purebred chicken eggs at the farm level. “I have received many aspirations from laying hen farmers. Over the last month, prices had fallen, but in the last two days they have started to improve. Thank you, Mr Minister, and the ranks of the Ministry of Agriculture for moving quickly,” he said. According to Herry, egg prices which were previously in the range of Rp21,000 to Rp22,000 per kilogramme at the farm level have now started to rise to around Rp23,000 per kilogramme, and in several regions have even reached Rp24,000 per kilogramme. “Today, egg prices have gone up. Hopefully, they will continue to improve to around Rp26,000 per kilogramme so that farmers can regain healthy business margins,” he said. A similar improvement has also occurred for broiler commodities. Herry noted that the price of live chickens, which had slumped to Rp12,000 per kilogramme, has now risen to around Rp16,000 per kilogramme. “Broiler farmers were hit hard because the price was far below production costs. Thank God, it has now started to rise. Hopefully, next week it can reach Rp21,000 per kilogramme,” he said. As a member of Commission IV, which oversees agriculture, environment and forestry, as well as marine affairs and fisheries, Herry added that the success of agricultural development is not only measured by production achievements, but also by the increased welfare of business actors in the agriculture and livestock sectors. “The Ministry of Agriculture’s task is not only to increase production, but also to improve the economy of actors in the agricultural sector. When farmers and breeders are prosperous, agricultural development will be stronger and more sustainable,” Herry stressed. Previously, the Head of the National Food Agency and Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, gathered representatives of laying hen farmers from across Indonesia to discuss efforts to maintain price stability at the producer level. “We thank our brothers and sisters, laying hen farmers from all over Indonesia who came to meet us, requesting policies that could improve the fallen egg prices,” said Amran in Jakarta on Tuesday (9/6). He said the government is trying to move quickly to address the oversupply problem that has caused farm-gate prices for purebred chicken eggs to fall below profitable levels for farmers. The government has prepared measures to protect farmers from potential losses due to excess stock, maintain the sustainability of livestock businesses, and stabilise the supply and price of eggs. He stated that the government will oversee the implementation of the Purchase Reference Price (HAP) for eggs at the farm level of Rp26,500 per kilogramme. He also urged farmers to participate in monitoring the implementation of the egg purchase reference price.