Tofu and Tempeh Producers in West Jakarta Complain About Rising Soybean Prices

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Tofu and tempeh producers in the Cengkareng area of West Jakarta are complaining about the rise in soybean prices. Yudi (35), a tofu and tempeh producer in Cengkareng, said the increase in soybean prices has forced him to spend more capital on production costs. “Because we buy it per tonne, right. So if there’s an increase of Rp1,000, that adds Rp1 million per tonne,” Yudi told reporters at his production facility on Jalan Flamboyan, Cengkareng, on Monday. Yudi mentioned that before the Rp1,000 rise, the soybean price was only Rp10,200 per kilogramme. “From the previous price, the increase in soybeans is around Rp1,000, previously Rp10,200 per kg,” he said. In fact, Yudi said, the soybean price once reached Rp14,000 not long ago. “It once reached Rp14,000, yeah, but now the price is actually still safe,” he stated. However, he continued, although the price increase is still at a safe level, retailers are the group most affected, as they are also squeezed by the rising price of plastic. “But from the retailers’ side, the plastic price has also risen. For them, retail packaging is mainly plastic,” he explained. According to him, any price increase will be based on a joint agreement from their community association colleagues. “For price increases, we have an association, so usually if we want to raise it, it has to be simultaneous. But so far, there hasn’t been any increase,” he said. Yudi himself revealed that he uses 450 kilogrammes of soybeans every day to produce 250 kilogrammes of tempeh and 200 kilogrammes of tofu. Previously, the DKI Jakarta Food Security, Maritime, and Agriculture Agency (KPKP) stated that soybean prices have experienced varied increases, from Rp10,500 to Rp11,000 per kilogramme at the tofu and tempeh artisan level, up from the previous Rp8,000 to Rp8,600 per kg. Meanwhile, the increase at the traditional market trader level is Rp15,000 to Rp20,000 per kg, from the previous range of Rp13,000 to Rp18,000 per kg. On the other hand, the National Food Agency (Bapanas) has assured strict supervision of soybean importers and distributors to ensure selling prices align with the Reference Selling Price (HAP) in order to maintain supply stability and protect national consumers. “As an affirmation, the government will not hesitate to take action against soybean importers and distributors if soybeans are found at unreasonable prices,” said Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilisation of Bapanas, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, when confirmed in Jakarta on Friday. Bapanas emphasised that soybean prices from imports are still monitored within the HAP corridor in accordance with government regulations.