Rose Prices at Rawa Belong Market Soar Sharply
The price of roses at the Rawa Belong Flower Market in West Jakarta has soared sharply, more than doubling in the past two weeks. A scarcity of supply coinciding with high demand during the school graduation season is cited as the main trigger for the price surge.
Dani, a 23-year-old trader at the market, said that the shortage currently affects almost all the rose varieties most sought after by consumers. The limited stock on the market has forced both wholesale and retail traders to make significant price adjustments. “Roses are scarce right now simply because of high usage. From a normal price of Rp50,000, it can now reach Rp120,000 per bunch at the trader level,” Dani said when met at his stall, Indah Florist, in West Jakarta on Sunday. Dani added that as a result of the spike at the wholesale level, the retail selling price to end consumers has now hit Rp170,000 per bunch, depending on daily supply dynamics. Despite the soaring prices, Dani acknowledged that purchasing power has not entirely waned because the commodity is an urgent need for some people.
Echoing Dani, another rose trader, Gatot, revealed that the surge in demand is heavily influenced by the ongoing school graduation and commencement season. However, Gatot predicts this price volatility will not last long, as supply from producing regions is expected to recover. “Next week, I predict the price of roses will fall again because stock is gradually returning to normal,” Gatot said.
The price surge at the upstream market has inevitably hit downstream businesses, particularly bouquet and decorative flower artisans. They must think creatively to avoid losing customers amid soaring raw material costs. Nadia (23), a decorative flower artisan in the Rawa Belong area, acknowledged this dilemma. The increase in capital costs accompanied by product scarcity has made consumers more selective in their spending. To work around this, Nadia has adopted a strategy of gradual price adjustments and cutting profit margins to maintain customer loyalty. “We raise prices, but only slightly. For a standard-sized flower bouquet previously priced between Rp150,000 and Rp200,000, we now increase it by only about Rp5,000 per arrangement,” Nadia explained. She noted that in the current situation, a florist’s profit depends heavily on sales volume, not on high selling prices. Nevertheless, she is grateful that the graduation season has managed to boost her bouquet order volume.