Prices Of Imported Soybeans In Kudus Spike, Traders Are Forced To Adjust The Size Of Tempeh And Tofu

Merchants know they are preparing their products. (photo: doc. between)

JAKARTA – The soaring international soybean price has made the selling price of imported soybeans in Kudus Regency, Central Java, rise. The price of imported soybeans has now reached Rp. 11,000 per kilogram from the previous normal price of around Rp. 6,500/kg.

"The price increase is gradual. Since mid-2021, it has increased by around Rp. 9,000 per kilogram. Meanwhile, earlier this week the selling price on the market was around Rp. 10,900/kg, then as of Friday (11/2/2022) it rose to Rp.11. 000/kg," said the Primary Manager of the Indonesian Tofu-Tempe Cooperative (Primkopti) Kudus Regency, Amar Ma'ruf in Kudus, Saturday, February 12, to Antara.

He revealed that the fluctuation in the selling price of imported soybeans had occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, it had reached IDR 10,000 per kilogram, then it went down and now it's up again.

The reasons for the high selling prices of imported commodities are, among other things, due to reduced harvests from the country of origin so that prices in the market of the country of origin also increase and an increase in the index.

Since the selling price of soybeans reached Rp. 9,000/kg, tofu and tempeh producers in Kudus have made adjustments to both the size of the product and the selling price.

"Demand for imported soybeans in our area is also quite stable with an average of 15 tons per day. Before the pandemic, the demand was quite high, reaching 20 tons per day," he said.

Actually, tofu and tempeh craftsmen have alternatives to local soybeans, but the selling price is almost the same. Traders prefer imported soybeans because apart from being cleaner, there is also a guarantee that stocks are available sustainably, compared to local soybeans.

Currently, the stock of imported soybeans in Kudus is around 60 tons and can still be added according to market needs. Meanwhile, the availability of local soybean stocks adjusts to the harvest season.

The number of tofu and tempeh entrepreneurs in Kudus Regency is estimated to reach 300 entrepreneurs spread across a number of sub-districts such as Kota, Jekulo, Kaliwungu, Dawe, Bae, Gebog, Undaan, Mejobo, and Jati.

Meanwhile, the Head of Trade Facilitation, Promotion and Consumer Protection at the Kudus Regency Trade Office, Imam Prayitno, said that soybean commodities have fluctuated since the pandemic, but so far there have been no problems in the market because stocks are also available.