Prices Of Tree Materials Soar, Many Mothers Are Complaining

Chairman of the House of Representatives Mrs. Maharani (Photo of the House of Representatives DPR)

JAKARTA - Chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, asked the government to immediately address the problem of high prices for a number of basic foodstuffs at the end of 2021.

“The government needs to immediately control the prices of basic foodstuffs by the end of this year. Some basic foodstuffs such as cooking oil, chilies, onions and chicken eggs are very expensive, more than at the end of the previous year," said Puan, Monday, December 27.

"Low-income people will be greatly affected by the increase in the price of basic necessities," said Puan in a written statement.

As of December 24, 2021, the price of cooking oil on the market far exceeded the highest retail price (HET), which was Rp. 11,000/liter. Even packaged cooking oil has reached a price of Rp. 20,000/liter.

The prices of other staple foods that have soared are red chili peppers, broiler eggs, and shallots.

“Housewives have complained a lot, the price of red cayenne pepper in some areas has even reached Rp 140,000/kg. This has exceeded the price of meat," he said.

The issue of rising food prices at the end of the year, said Puan, must also be resolved in the future. This phenomenon is always repeated and requires a comprehensive solution. There is a need for policy synergy between sectors, both from the upstream and downstream sides, from the production and trade sectors.

The commodity price of red cayenne pepper at Pasar Senen Block VI has skyrocketed, reaching a price of Rp. 120,000 per kilogram.

"Until today, it has not changed. Devil's or red cayenne is still the highest selling price here. Yesterday's price was Rp. 95 thousand and now it has increased to Rp. 120 thousand per kilo," said Ihsan (25), a red chili trader to reporters, Monday, December 27. .

The drastic increase in chili prices also occurred in the types of red, green, and curly chilies, which rose by around Rp. 20 thousand per kilogram.

"The price of ordinary red chili also went up, yesterday it only increased to Rp. 40 thousand, now it is Rp. 60 thousand. For green chilies, from Rp. 50 thousand now it is the same as red chili, so Rp. 60 thousand. If the curly red chili is now the price is Rp. 45 thousand, " he said.

"Yes, if the price of chili goes up, automatically the price of other spices such as onions - white and tomatoes will also increase. Yesterday I sold onions - white for Rp. 22 thousand per kilo, but now it is Rp. 30 thousand per kilo. For tomatoes, the increase is not much, but it's still burdensome for me and the buyer. From the current price of Rp. 10 thousand, it becomes Rp. 13 thousand per kilo," he said.