West Java Councillor Urges Government to Stabilise Falling Egg and Chicken Prices
A member of the West Java House of Representatives (DPRD) Commission II, Saeful Bachri, is urging the government to speed up efforts to stabilise the falling prices of eggs and chicken at the breeder level to ensure the sustainability of poultry farming businesses.
Saeful Bachri stated in Bandung on Thursday that the regional and central governments have been working on various measures to restore price stability for poultry commodities through coordination with relevant agencies.
“We encourage trade agencies to continue taking steps to stabilise the prices of eggs and chicken, which are currently plummeting. I also believe the central government will not remain idle,” he said.
According to him, one factor behind the price decline is suboptimal absorption due to an increasing number of breeders, which has made the supply of eggs and chicken in the market more abundant. He added that increased production from breeders in various regions has flooded the market with eggs and chicken, affecting selling prices at the farm level.
“The supply of broiler chicken and chicken eggs is abundant. Coupled with supplies from Central Java and Banten entering Bandung Regency, prices have fallen,” he said.
Saeful revealed that the current market price for eggs is around Rp22,500 per kilogram, while at the breeder level it can drop to around Rp20,000 per kilogram. He hopes the government will continue to strengthen stabilisation measures, including optimising the absorption of breeders’ produce and enhancing coordination with stakeholders to maintain a balance between supply and demand.
“We hope the government will intervene quickly and take action. We feel sorry for the breeders, especially since the price of feed has risen,” he said. He expressed hope that the measures being prepared by the government, including strengthening cross-agency coordination and optimising various programmes to absorb breeders’ produce, will soon have an impact on the recovery of egg and chicken prices.
Meanwhile, the Bandung Regency Government in West Java is preparing to implement subsidised Cheap Market Operations (OPM) in all villages and urban wards across 31 sub-districts to stabilise staple food prices. Bandung Regent Dadang Supriatna said the programme is still being finalised with the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure the market intervention scheme runs effectively, is well-targeted, and reaches all areas. He explained that the regional government is currently calculating the needs and distribution points for the OPM so that the benefits of the programme can be felt evenly by the community. He confirmed that food aid distribution will involve supplying staple foods directly from breeders or direct suppliers, especially eggs and chicken meat, to ensure upstream prices remain stable. As a concrete step, the Bandung Regency Government has confirmed that the cheap market programme with subsidies of up to 50 percent will continue to be rolled out to maintain the affordability of staple food prices.