Rice prices remain stable

JAKARTA: Despite the recent increase in demand, rice prices at Cipinang wholesale market were stable due to their adequate supply, the market unit chief, Nasion Bhaktiono, said here on Monday.

"As it is nearing the Muslim fasting month, traders have increased their supplies to anticipate the growing demand," he said, as quoted by Antara.

He said that there were no problems with the market's rice supply, some 70 percent of which came from the northern coastal areas of West Java and the rest from East and Central Java.

Usually, he said, the wholesale market received a supply of between 1,800 and 2,000 tons per day. But the supply rose to 2,103 tons last Monday and to 2,859 tons last Friday. "Up until this morning (Monday) we got a daily supply of 3,020 tons. We expect to receive up to 3,175 tons today," he said.

He said that the supply had increased to meet the growing demand, though rice prices continued to remain stable. The price of Cianjur Kepala, for example, was stable at Rp 3,800 (4 U.S. cents) per kilogram, Cianjur Slip at Rp 3,150 and Saigon Bandung at Rp 2,700. -- JP