TEMPO Interactive, Kudus:Tofu and soybean curd producers in Kudus still rely on imported soybean for their raw materials. However, imported soybean prices have risen higher than local soybean prices. Imported soybean is now sold at 5,700 per kilogram, or Rp100 per kg higher than local products.
The price shift has made profits in the tofu-soybean curd business uncertain, Kudus Tofu-Soybean Curd Cooperatives manager, Amar Ma'ruf, told Tempo yesterday.
“Local soybean production can only meet 5% of the demand,” he said, adding that imported soybean were cleaner and bigger.
In Kudus, there are 238 tofu-soybean curd business units that employ 2,000 people. The demand for soybean is around 8,400 tons per year. Besides Kudus, the tofu and soybean curd are sold in Jepara, Pati and Demak.
As imported soybean prices continue to rise, businessmen are now reducing the size of tofu and soybean curd packages.
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