Zulhas urges Bulog to release corn supplies to stabilise animal feed prices
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) has requested Perum Bulog to promptly release a portion of the government’s hundreds of thousands of tonnes of corn reserves at subsidised prices to egg farming centres in order to suppress animal feed costs.
During an inspection of food prices and supplies alongside Trade Minister Budi Santoso at Palmerah Market in Jakarta on Wednesday, Zulhas directly telephoned and communicated with Bulog’s President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani to accelerate the release of the corn stock.
“We responded quickly earlier; regarding the rise in feed prices, I called Bulog to immediately release its corn reserves—hundreds of thousands of tonnes—at subsidised prices to egg farming centres,” Zulhas stated.
He explained that the measure is urgently needed because egg farmers are facing pressure from two fronts: falling egg prices at the farm level and rising feed costs.
He noted that egg prices at the farm level, typically around Rp23,000 per kilogram (kg), have now dropped to about Rp20,000 per kg.
“It’s a double hit: usually, they receive Rp23,000 per kg at the farm level, but now some are getting Rp20,000 per kg, so they’re at a loss. Yet corn prices are rising, and feed prices are going up,” he said.
According to him, releasing the government’s corn reserves is expected to stabilise corn prices, preventing farmers from purchasing feed at high prices.
In this way, the government can maintain price balance to avoid overburdening consumers while protecting the sustainability of farmers’ businesses.
Egg prices at Palmerah Market were observed at around Rp27,000 per kg, lower than the highest retail price (HET) of about Rp30,000 per kg.
He assessed that excessively low egg prices could harm farmers, even though society benefits from cheaper prices on the other side.
“The HET ensures consumers aren’t too burdened, but farmers don’t shut down. If it’s too cheap, farmers will close, and while consumers are happy with low prices, this is what we must safeguard,” Zulhas remarked.
Based on data from the Ministry of Trade’s Market and Basic Needs Monitoring System (SP2KP) on 12 May 2026, the national average price of broiler eggs was recorded at Rp28,354 per kg, down 0.18 percent from the previous day.
In addition to requesting Bulog to release corn, Zulhas also asked the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to increase the use of eggs in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme to help absorb egg supplies.
According to him, demand from the MBG programme could help lift egg prices back to reasonable levels for farmers.
“If BGN uses eggs for just two days, that’s 48 million eggs in one purchase. If twice a week, it could return prices to HET levels,” he said.
He stated that overall food stocks are currently secure, including rice, eggs, chicken, and chillies, whose prices are starting to decline.
SP2KP data also recorded national prices for curly red chillies on 12 May 2026 at Rp45,830 per kg, large red chillies at Rp48,768 per kg, and red bird’s eye chillies at Rp63,252 per kg.
Based on observations at Palmerah Market, curly red chilli prices were at Rp44,000 per kg, large red chillies around Rp47,000 per kg, and red bird’s eye chillies Rp65,000 per kg.
“Overall, food is secure; stocks are visibly abundant. But we want it secure for farmers, secure for society, and secure for livestock farmers too,” Zulhas said.
During the market inspection, Zulhas and Trade Minister Budi Santoso greeted and chatted with several traders and residents at Palmerah Market. The two also distributed cooking oil and cash assistance to a number of residents in the market area.