Egg Prices Are Expensive, This Is A Stable Way To Stabilize

Head of Badanas Arief Prastyo (Photo: Doc. Badanas Public Relations)

JAKARTA - The price of chicken eggs in the market has increased in recent times. In order to overcome this problem, the National Food Agency (NFA) has also taken a number of ways to stabilize prices in the market.

Head of the National Food Agency (NFA) Arief Prasetyo Adi said that one of the efforts taken was the distribution of egg and chicken meat for stunting risk families (KRS).

Arief said, this program effectively absorbs eggs and chicken meat produced by independent farmers at a good price to be distributed to reduce stunting.

"Currently, the government is implementing an assistance program for 1.4 million KRS in 7 provinces by providing chicken eggs in one pack and one chicken chicken meat with ID FOOD, Food SOE Holding. This program will run for three months. From April to June 2023," he said in an official statement, written Wednesday, May 17.

According to Arief, this government program has become a kind of closed loop that is integrated from upstream, middle, to downstream. Upstream involves independent breeders as product suppliers, in the middle of preparing ID FOOD as a booth by buyer at a good price to maintain price stability in farmers.

"Meanwhile, downstream, it is distributed to people who are at risk of stunting according to data by name and by address from BKKBN," he said.

Furthermore, Arief said to ensure that fast mitigation steps were taken, NFA through the Food Price Panel application with enumerators spread across 514 districts/cities, continuing to monitor and monitor the movement of egg prices in all provinces and districts/cities every day.

"We continue to monitor the price movement every day. If there are indications of price increases, both at the producer and consumer levels, we will intervene. Like when prices at the producer level fall, we immediately ask SOEs to absorb them at good prices for food assistance needs or Government Food Reserves (CPP)," he explained.

If the price condition in producers increases, continued Arief, the National Food Agency will check. If the problem is at high feed prices, it is sought to facilitate the distribution of food for corn commodities from production centers to points that require corn supply to stabilize feed prices.

According to him, currently NFA consistently facilitates the distribution of corn from Gapoktan in production centers such as NTB and South Sulawesi to farmers on the island of Java, such as Blitar, Kendal, Solo Raya, and Lampung. So far, 4.4 million kg of corn distribution has been facilitated.

"To maintain the balance of egg prices, efforts must be comprehensive, starting from ensuring the stability of feed commodity prices upstream to downstream logistics costs. Of course, it requires synergy and joint work," said Arief.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Food Price Panel as of May 14, 2023, the average price of eggs at the producer level is IDR 25,840 per kg, while at the consumer level it is IDR 29,737 per kg.