Plastic Product Prices in Semarang Surge by 100 Percent, Strangling Traders and SMEs

The price of plastic products in Semarang City, Central Java, has experienced a significant surge, even exceeding 100 percent. This has been a source of complaint among residents and traders, including SMEs operators. Firza (30 years old), a distributor and owner of Wahid Prima Plastic Shop located in Gayamsari Subdistrict, revealed that the price increase in plastic products occurred gradually, starting in the first week of Ramadan or towards the end of February 2026. She said the first product to see a price hike was plastic cups commonly used by traders to sell iced drinks. According to Firza, at that time the price increase for plastic cups was still reasonable, around 10 percent. “What I usually buy for Rp250,000 per box rose to Rp260–Rp275,000 per box. So the selling price that was usually Rp14,000 is starting to become unfeasible,” she said when met by Republika on Tuesday (7/4/2026). She explained that plastic product prices began to soar as Eid approached. “From a 10 percent increase, suddenly within a week it rose 20 percent, 30 percent, then continued to 50 percent, even up to 100 percent approaching Eid,” she stated. Firza assessed that this price increase was already unreasonable. “What was previously Rp250,000 per box (plastic cups), now can reach Rp400–Rp500,000. That means it’s already up 100 percent,” she said.