Wary public stocking up on essentials

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the floods have still to recede, Jakartans are haunted by the fear of running out of food. Terrible traffic congestion at several spots in the capital encouraged people to stock up on food for their homes.

Unfortunately, the market has failed to meet the rising demand as many suppliers could not enter Jakarta, which has been inundated since Monday. Flooding caused toll operator PT Jasa Marga to temporarily close down the Tangerang toll road, a gateway connecting Java and Sumatra island.

Thinking of the worst possibilities, people began to stock up on food at several malls and supermarkets in the capital.

In the grocery section of Sogo department store at Plaza Senayan in Central Jakarta, large bottles of drinking water were sold out and shoppers were seen stocking up on canned food and instant noodles.

By 2 p.m., the shelves at the adjoining bakery were also almost empty.

At Hero supermarket in Plaza Senayan, long lines were spotted at the tills, with customers sometimes having to wait in line for half an hour or more.

Lack of supplies and panic-buying were blamed as the prime causes of the stock shortage.

Panic-buyers also rushed into TOP'S supermarket, located in Taman Alfa, West Jakarta, for fear of a food shortage during the flooding calamity, the worst-ever in Jakarta.

Store assistant manager Antonius Suharyanto said on Saturday that more than 800 consumers had flocked to the store to purchase basic commodities.

"We have been running out of basic commodities, including rice, meat, noodles, fish and chicken due to panic-buying," he said, adding that regular consumers numbered only a few hundred on a normal day.

Antonius claimed that the supermarket booked a total of Rp 120 million in half a day's trading; normally it was only Rp 35 million.

He said that the shortage in stock was caused by the late delivery from suppliers as the store warehouse was located in Cikarang, which was barely accessible due to the flooding.

A mother living close to Taman Alfa housing estate said she could get only 15 packs of noodles after queuing quite long at the supermarket.

Food vendors also complained about difficulties in getting certain items.

The owner of a small restaurant on Jl. Palmerah, Central Jakarta, said tempeh (soybean cake) was scarce.

"It is difficult to get tempeh. But you can still find it in several markets, including Kebayoran Lama," he said, adding that the tempeh was either old stock or made by a nearby producer.

In Cipinang wholesale rice market, East Jakarta, the main destination for rice retailers across the capital, the stock of rice has slowly reduced.

Stocks in some shops in the market were approximately half what they were normally, before the floods.

Apung, a rice trader, said on Saturday he was only able to stock five tons of rice per day at present, while on a normal day he could store about 10 tons.

He normally received the rice from Cimalaya, Haurgeulis, Cianjur and Sumedang, all in West Java province. However, traffic problems due to flooding had meant he received only half that.

Apung said stock shortages had slightly boosted the price of rice, by Rp 200 per kilogram (kg) on average. The price of rice, depending on its quality, ranges from Rp 2,500 per kg to Rp 5,000 per kg.

In contrast to rice, the price of fruit and vegetables at the Kramat Jati wholesale market, also in East Jakarta, has sharply increased since Monday.

For example, mustard greens are selling at Rp 3,000 per kg, from their previous price of Rp 1,300.

The rise in the price of basic commodities was a logical consequence of the lack of food supplies, claimed Sukardjo, a trader in the market.

The possibility of Jakarta running out of good was confirmed by Minister of Industry and Trade Rini M. Soewandi on Saturday in Denpasar. She said that the capital might only have enough food for 14 days at most if flooding continued in the capital.

Rini said the food shortage was caused by supply problems, as trucks were not able to enter Jakarta due to flooded roads. She promised that the government would provide food, clean water and medicine, especially for flood victims. She also pledged to improve distribution systems to the flood-prone areas.

"We'll urge the Army to allow its trucks with high ground clearance, and other vehicles, to be used to distribute food and other commodities."