Surge in Staple Commodity Prices in Batam, Chillies to Chicken Meat Skyrocket

Price increases for several staple commodities have occurred again in Batam City over the past few weeks, particularly for chillies, rice, and chicken meat. This surge directly impacts traders and the public.

Based on observations by Media Indonesia on Monday (6/4), in traditional markets, the price of bird’s eye chillies has reached around Rp80,000–Rp85,000 per kilogram, up from about Rp60,000 per kilogram previously. Meanwhile, red chillies are sold for Rp75,000–Rp80,000 per kilogram.

Other kitchen spices have also risen. Shallots are now in the range of Rp38,000–Rp42,000 per kilogram, while garlic is Rp40,000–Rp45,000 per kilogram, an increase of about Rp5,000–Rp10,000 compared to the previous month.

Price hikes have also affected main staples. Medium-quality rice is now sold for Rp13,000–Rp15,000 per kilogram, while granulated sugar reaches Rp17,000–Rp18,500 per kilogram. For protein sources, the price of cut chicken meat is at Rp44,000–Rp46,000 per kilogram, up from Rp35,000–Rp38,000 previously, while beef remains high at Rp135,000–Rp145,000 per kilogram.

This situation is influenced by several factors, such as disruptions in supply from producing regions, weather affecting production, high distribution costs to island areas, and increased demand pushing prices up.

At Pasar Penuin, one of the main trading centres, traders are beginning to feel the direct impact. Ibu Painem (45), a trader of chillies and kitchen spices, revealed that the price increase has led buyers to reduce their purchases.

“Chillies are very expensive now, up to over Rp80,000. Buyers are being thrifty; usually they buy one kilo, now just half a kilo,” she said. She added that the price rise has increased shopping capital, while profits do not always increase because sales are declining.

A similar situation is occurring at Pasar Botania. Bapak Susanto (52), a chicken meat trader, said sales have dropped since the chicken price rose.

“Now chicken is already Rp45,000 per kilo. Many buyers are switching to fish or eggs. We have to reduce stock to avoid losses,” he stated. Susanto added that rapid price fluctuations make it difficult for traders to maintain business stability, sometimes even squeezing profit margins to keep selling.

Besides traders, the public is starting to feel the impact. Many households are rearranging their expenses and reducing consumption of certain items. The local government continues to monitor prices and ensure smooth distribution, but Batam’s dependence on supplies from outside the region makes commodity prices remain vulnerable to rises.

Traders hope for interventions, such as market operations and price stabilisation, to return conditions to normal. Without such steps, they fear that public purchasing power will weaken and traditional market activities will be affected.