Premium Rice Price Rises In Modern Retail, Aprindo Pede Can Down 1 Week Before Eid

Chairman of the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Aprindo) Roy Nicholas Mandey. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Aprindo) Roy Nicholas Mandey admitted that there was indeed an increase in premium rice prices in modern retail. This price increase occurred due to a lack of supply or supply of rice.

As is known, premium rice prices continue to increase prices in the market.

In retail, the price of premium pandan-type rice even reaches a price of IDR 90,000 per 5kg.

"The reality is like that (up). Because the rice has not yet been harvested and the sugar cane is also expensive. (Going) only at the end of this month," he said when met at Balai Sudirman, Jakarta, Thursday, February 23.

Roy explained that even during the main harvest season, yields cannot be immediately used as rice, but need to be processed. According to him, this takes time.

"If we can get the main harvest at the end of March. Remember, the main harvest cannot be immediately used as rice, make sure it is milled first, dried, so there is still a period of 1 month, less than until the market," he said.

However, continued Roy, when the main harvest started at the end of March, the price of premium rice could fall in mid-April.

"Because the harvest in mid-March, at the end of March, has been milled, mid-April has entered," he said.

Roy believes that prices could fall a week before the Idul Fitri National Religious Holiday (HBKN).

"It can go down, once the harvest is good. Once the supply is abundant, the demand will still go down. Predicted after harvest. Hopefully, before HBKN Eid al-Fitr has dropped, one week before HBKN," he said.