Rising demand causes vegetable prices to soar
Rising demand causes vegetable prices to soar
JAKARTA (JP): The increasing demand for vegetables before the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan has caused the prices of vegetables in the city to soar, an official says.
However, the head of the cooperative and trade development department of the city economic bureau, Kartius Sinurat, said yesterday that the supply of vegetables to Jakarta is still stable.
The demand for foodstuffs before Ramadhan tends to increase 20 percent, and up to 100 percent by the day of Idul Fitri.
"The data collected in seven markets in the city show that the supply is relatively stable but its still early," Kartius said.
He said that the normal demand for vegetables in the city is 300 tons per day, while Kramat Jati market receives 1,300 tons of vegetables per day from West, East and Central Java to distribute to markets in the greater Jakarta area. Another 200 tons are distributed directly to other markets in Greater Jakarta.
Kramat Jati, in East Jakarta, is the central market through which all vegetables and fruit must pass.
On Jan. 8 Kramat Jati market received only 1,104 tons of vegetables, up slightly from 1,033 tons the previous day.
However, he said, there's a shortage of chiles and red onion, whose prices have jumped.
"The harvest of chiles and tomato has been delayed due to the rains," he said, adding that the city administration cannot do more than inform the production areas to increase their supplies.
However, for certain products such as rice, sugar and salted fish, the city administration can control prices through market operations.
Kartius said if the weather does not change before Idul Fitri, prices could get out of hand.
"Vegetables, such as chiles, rot easily in the rainy season. Floods also disrupt transportation of the goods from production areas to the city, which then affects delivery to markets," explained Suherman, a Kramat Jati employee.
On Jan.8 the price of chiles in seven markets was 106 percent higher than in December, with Rp 11,000 being charged per kilogram compared to the usual Rp 5,693 per kg. In addition, chili and tomato prices were more than double in markets in Kebayoran Lama and Blok M.
"We have no choice but to buy them unless we plant them vegetables ourselves," said Wati, a housewife.
Red onion prices also increased from Rp 3,200 to Rp 4,200 per kilogram, carrot from Rp 1,325 to Rp 1,559 per kilogram and potato from Rp 1,136 to Rp 2,600 per kilogram. (team)