Trade Minister Zulhas Claims Local Rice Prices Have Dropped By IDR 3,000 Per Kg

Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan revealed that local rice prices in the market have begun to gradually decline. In fact, the decline has reached Rp. 3,000 per kilogram (kg).

"In some areas the price has started to fall. In Java, local rice has decreased, there are between Rp. 3,000 to Rp. 1,000 (per kg)," he said at an assembly on standby for supply security and food prices ahead of Eid Al-Fitr 2024, quoted from YouTube. Badanas, Monday, April 1.

Furthermore, Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, said that the decline in rice prices occurred in line with the entry of the peak of the harvest season. Meanwhile, based on records, it is predicted that this time the rice harvest is 3.8 million tons.

"The production rice in the last few months is high above demand, so that also some areas of prices have started to fall," he said.

In addition to rice prices, Zulhas said that the price of broiler meat also decreased. Even the price decrease reached Rp. 2,000 per kg.

"Chinese meat is still at IDR 40,000 (per kg), but (down) from IDR 42,000. Maybe these days it will also go down soon because the feed price has started to be good," he explained.

Previously, Acting Head of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti said that the current price of broiler eggs was relatively lower than the second week of March 2024.

Amalia said the highest price increase occurred in the second week of March 2024. In fact, the price of broiler eggs was recorded at 6.89 percent.

"For chicken eggs, the price of broiler eggs, if we compare it with the second week of March, the price has increased relatively lower," he said at the alert meeting to secure food supply and prices ahead of Eid Al-Fitr 2024, quoted from YouTube. Badanas, Monday, April 1.

Meanwhile, continued Amalia, the price of broiler has also decreased.

He said the increase in this commodity was not as high as the price of broiler eggs.

"If we look at the broiler meat, it is true that the price increase is not as high as broiler eggs and this will have started to slope the pressure on price increases in the fourth week of March 2024 which is not as high as the increase compared to the previous weeks," he explained.