Peaceful Protest: Thousands of Eggs and Chickens Distributed Free in Malioboro

The ‘Peaceful Egg-Laying Chicken Distribution’ action by the Yogyakarta Egg-Laying Farmers Association (P3Y) was held in Malioboro, Yogyakarta City, on Monday (10/8). In this sympathetic protest, thousands of laying hens were distributed free of charge to the public, starting from the courtyard of the DIY Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building. P3Y representative Andre Patra stated that the street action was purely driven by the ongoing concerns and losses experienced by farmers due to industrial management, particularly the raw material trade system, which does not favour smallholder farmers. “This step of distributing thousands of laying hens was taken reluctantly because the price of feed has soared to an unreasonable point and is causing losses for laying hen farming businesses,” he explained. The burden on farmers is increasing because they manage living creatures that must be fed daily, making this cost unavoidable and increasingly heavy. Amid these losses, farmers cannot bear to let their livestock die of hunger in their cages. Last year, the combined cost of feed (corn, concentrate, and bran) was around Rp6,200 per kilogram. At that time, the farm-gate price of eggs ranged from Rp24,000 to Rp25,000 per kilogram. According to farmers, this margin still provided a reasonable profit. However, currently, the price of each feed component has risen, with corn reaching Rp7,000 per kg, bran at Rp5,000 per kg, and concentrate nearly Rp500,000 per sack. This increase has pushed the average feed cost up to Rp8,000 per kilogram. “With feed costs at almost Rp8,000, the normal egg price should be Rp24,000–Rp25,000,” he said. In reality, the selling price of eggs has currently plummeted below production costs due to oversupply. Egg prices in Yogyakarta have fallen below Rp20,000, and in the DIY region, they even touched the lowest level of Rp18,000 per kilogram. “Today it is below Rp20,000, Sir… at the farm level. We have been suffering losses for almost two months now,” added Andri. Carrying the slogan ‘Our Eggs for the Community, Our Voice for Justice!’, this free chicken distribution action became a symbol of the farmers’ struggle and a cry to be heard by the state and industry stakeholders. In addition to distributing free laying hens, P3Y also held an audience with members of the DIY DPRD. They brought six urgent demands. First, to lower feed prices to a reasonable, logical, and affordable level for smallholder farmers. Second, to realise a fair egg price and not make farmers the party that continuously bears losses. Third, to create a healthy, fair, and transparent trading system for animal feed raw materials and other inputs from upstream to downstream. Fourth, to guarantee the availability of corn commodities and ease of access for farmers at fair and reasonable prices. Fifth, to strengthen institutions within the livestock industry. “Sixth, to increase the government’s attention and real action towards the sustainability of the livestock sector,” he stressed. In the short term, the government is asked to help overcome the overpopulation in the laying hen industry by regulating the absorption of old hen populations (over 90 weeks). “Farmers must continue to exist, for the sake of Indonesia’s food security,” he concluded.