US Dollar Hits Rp 17,600, Food and Medicine Prices Predicted to Rise
The weakening of the Rupiah against the US dollar is expected to have a direct impact on the purchasing power of the public. Currently, the Rupiah is still under pressure and has not been able to recover from the strengthening of the US dollar.
As quoted by detikFinance, the US dollar exchange rate has now reached a record high of around Rp 17,600. This condition is considered to make it difficult for the Rupiah to return to normal levels in the near future.
The economist from the Center of Economics and Law Studies (CELIOS), Nailul Huda, assessed that the most significant impact of the Rupiah’s weakening is the increase in imported inflation. According to him, Indonesia still relies on various imported products to meet daily needs.
“The impact is that inflation from imports will start to rise in the future, mainly due to rising distribution costs and rising prices of goods. Imported inflation will occur, especially for goods related to imports, whether raw materials, supporting materials, or consumer goods,” said Huda when contacted by detikcom, Friday (15/5/2026).
Huda predicts that there will be price increases in the next 2-3 months. He stated that the prices of plastics have already started to rise because the raw materials are currently scarce, distribution is expensive, and when they find exporters whose products can be imported, the prices increase because the Rupiah is very weak.
The weakening of plastic prices is not just an ordinary phenomenon because many products that use plastic will also increase in price, for example, packaged cooking oil.
“So, the impact of the weakening of the exchange rate can affect all levels of society, from street food vendors to entrepreneurs, and they will be affected negatively,” said Huda.
In line with Huda, the economist from the Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia, Yusuf Rendy Manilet, said that Indonesia still imports a lot of wheat, soybeans, garlic, milk, pharmaceutical raw materials, and industrial raw materials. When the Rupiah exchange rate weakens, the cost of importing these goods also increases.
“The impact will be gradually felt in the prices of food, medicine, and household needs,” said Rendy to detikcom.