Plastic Prices Rise, Pramono Suggests Residents Return to Banana Leaves

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung (Diah Ayu/VOI)

JAKARTA - The recent increase in plastic prices has begun to be felt by the public, including small business actors. DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said that the surge in plastic prices was influenced by global factors that could not be controlled by the local government.

In the midst of this condition, the DKI Provincial Government encourages adaptive steps, including finding alternatives to plastic in daily activities.

According to Pramono, the use of plastic needs to be reduced gradually, in line with efforts to maintain the environment while responding to rising prices that have the potential to burden the community.

"Of course we have to innovate because now this plastic need is slowly being reduced, there must be a substitution," said Pramono in Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta, Sunday, April 12.

One of the solutions offered is to re-utilize traditional materials that are more environmentally friendly, such as banana leaves for food packaging. Pramono assessed that this way is not only relevant from a cultural perspective, but can also be a practical alternative in the midst of expensive plastic prices.

"If the condition remains like this, it will definitely be a burden. So for that, yes, we sometimes have to go back to traditional ways, use banana leaf wraps and so on," said Pramono.

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has recorded a spike in the price of packaging plastic which has reached 30 to 40 percent in recent times. This increase is considered to have a direct impact on business actors, especially the food and beverage sector.

Head of the DKI Jakarta PPKUKM Office Elisabeth Ratu Rante Allo said that plastic is still the main operational need that is not easy to replace in a short time.

From the results of field monitoring, the price increase began to occur since the end of March 2026 and continued until early April. This condition is referred to as the impact of global geopolitical dynamics between the United States-Israel and Iran.

"Based on our monitoring and findings in the field, this increase in plastic prices has occurred since the end of March 2026 in conjunction with the outbreak of geopolitical conflicts in Iran, and continues until the beginning of April 2026," said the Queen in her statement.

In detail, the price increase occurred in almost all types of plastic. Cresek bags were recorded to have increased by around 40 percent to Rp17,000 per pack, while PET type packaging plastic increased by around 35 percent to Rp22,000 per pack. Meanwhile, PE type plastic has increased by an average of 30 percent to Rp21,000 per pack.

The highest increase was recorded in the West Jakarta and North Jakarta regions, while some other areas were relatively more stable.

"This increase has occurred quite quickly and in some cases is fluctuating following the distribution of goods," said Ratu.

The DKI Provincial Government considers this price spike inseparable from the dependence of the national plastic industry on imported raw materials. Currently, about 60 percent of the need for plastic raw materials is still met from abroad.

"We can say that this increase in plastic prices is more due to the global plastic industry structure which is still very dependent on the Middle East region," he explained.

The Middle East region, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, is a major supplier of petrochemical feedstock used for plastic production. Disruptions in the region, including the closure of strategic distribution lines, have a direct impact on global supplies.

Plastics used daily by business actors, such as plastic bags, drinking glasses, and packaging bottles, are derived from these raw materials.