Rice Traders At Cipinang Main Market Complain, From Morning To Afternoon Prices Continue To Rise, One Month Can Be 50 Times

JAKARTA - Rice prices continue to increase at the Cipinang Rice Main Market, Pulogadung District, East Jakarta on Tuesday, September 5.

Apart from buyers, a number of rice traders at a number of kiosks also complained. According to traders, rice prices have continued to increase for more than a month.

Fauzi (48), a basic food trader, said the price increase was due to the long dry season drought that hit several areas.

"The price (rice) is now 604 thousand (50 liters of retail size), previously 500 thousand. Now it continues to rise every day, the impact of the dry season is very pronounced," he told reporters at the location, Tuesday, September 5.

The impact of the long dry season, he continued, is that rice farmers also find it difficult to get maximum harvest.

In addition, the price of rice with the lowest quality is currently the same as the quality of good rice.

"I can sell 58 liters, now I sell 11 thousand liters, usually when selling rice in this class (low class) 9 thousand, this is the impact of the long dry season which is very cloudy," he said.

Meanwhile, from the confession of other retail rice traders, Firdaus (54) added, the price increase was very fast. Calculated per day, the price increase could increase three times.

"In one month, maybe they can reach 50 times, in the morning they go up, in the afternoon they go up, I'm bored too, the increase is domestic. The initial price is 500 thousand, now more than 600 thousand," he said.

Firdaus hopes that the government can find a solution and immediately overcome the increase in rice prices.

"Hopefully for the community, the normal price is normal, now it's too much to increase, the time period is too short, the morning goes up, or not in the afternoon it goes up, or not in the afternoon it has gone up," he said.

Previously, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) stated that there were a number of main causes that pushed for the current increase in rice prices. This was revealed by the Deputy for Distribution and Services Statistics at BPS Pudji Ismartini during a press conference today.

"The increase in rice prices has been detected at the producer level, namely an increase in grain prices, both the Harvest Dry Grain (GKP) and the Giling Dry Grain (GKG)," he said Friday, September 1.

Pudji noted that the price of the August GKP was IDR 5,833/Kg, an increase from July which was IDR 5,629/Kg. Likewise with GKG which amounted to IDR 6,760/Kg from the previous IDR 6,389/Kg.