Trade Minister Claims Egg Prices Stabilise Again Thanks to Free Nutritious Meals Programme

Trade Minister Budi Santoso stated that the prices of several staple commodities have stabilised again following the resumption of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme after the long school holiday. “Previously, prices had indeed fallen, but now absorption is better, partly because the MBG programme is running again,” Budi said in Yogyakarta on Thursday, 23 July 2026. He cited the example of egg prices, which had fallen to around Rp 26,000 per kilogram when the MBG programme was on hiatus, despite the highest retail price (HET) being set at Rp 30,000 per kilogram. “Now the price of eggs is around Rp 28,000, so it is good; the price is not too low,” he said. According to Budi, the long-term impact of a halt in production of a staple food due to excessively low prices could potentially eliminate the availability of that commodity in the market. This situation, he warned, could trigger an uncontrollable price surge when a scarcity occurs. Budi assessed that the MBG programme can act as a balancer between demand and supply in the market. He noted that before the MBG programme existed, staple food prices were highly volatile due to a lack of certainty. If producers manufacture a high volume, there might not be enough buyers. Conversely, if they produce a small quantity, there is a risk that the number of buyers will be too high, ultimately causing prices to rise. Consistent and continuously increasing production, he said, will engage the entire economic ecosystem, involving both producers and other sectors. “Not only livestock farming, but also agriculture and others; this involvement is very good,” he concluded.