Meat sellers protest Bandung decree

Meat sellers protest Bandung decree

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Three hundred meat traders, members of the Bandung, West Java,
Association of Beef Traders (Apdasi), took the streets on Monday
protesting the imposition of a levy on local cattle and value
added tax on imported cattle.

The protesters staged a rally at the West Java provincial
legislative council on Jl. Diponegoro, Bandung, before 20 of them
were permitted to speak to Commission B for economic affairs.

Yayat Sumirat, Apdasi secretary, complained to legislators
that Municipal Bylaw No. 26/2001 imposed a Rp 22,500 levy on
beasts weighing less than 150 kilograms and a Rp 30,000 levy on
beasts weighing more than 150 kilograms.

Meanwhile, 10 percent value added tax was also imposed to
imported cattle, causing price of imported cattle to increase.

The suppliers are responsible for paying the levies and the
tax according to the decree.

"The levies are imposed on suppliers, who later increase
cattle prices. Finally, the meat traders have no other option but
to increase the price of the meat they sell," Yayat said.

"This has caused an increase in beef prices in Bandung," he
said. He acknowledged that beef was usually more expensive ahead
of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan. "But this time the
increase is unacceptable and has caused a 50 percent drop in the
number of buyers. Our profits have also dropped."

Beef price have jumped from Rp 27,000 per kilogram to Rp
35,000 over the last two weeks.

A meat trader, who participated in the meeting, said that he
was earning only between Rp 40,000 and Rp 50,000 per day, or
around Rp 100,000 less than he earned previously.

Yayat said that written complaints had been sent to the mayor
and the municipal legislative council. "But we have received no
response."

Suppliers are now demanding Rp 5.5 million for a cow weighing
around 200 kilograms, or Rp 3.3 million more than the previous
price.

The association also asked the West Java provincial
legislature to help Bandung meat traders negotiate with the
suppliers, who are mostly from Central and East Java.

Bandung consumes some 250 cows a day, but only 10 percent of
this figure is sourced from West Java suppliers.

Before leaving the legislative assembly chamber, the meat
traders threatened to withhold their meat from the market between
Nov. 14 and Nov. 16, if the legislators failed to respond to
their demands.