The Price Of Soybeans Has Not Yet Dropped, The Minister Of Trade Highlights Bulog's Performance

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan while inspecting Pasar Pasir Gintung. Bandarlampung, Saturday, January 7th.(Photo via ANTARA/Ruth Intan Sozometa Kanafi.)

JAKARTA - Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said his party would hold a meeting related to soybean prices. In fact, his party is ready to intervene specifically to reduce soybean prices in the market.

This was conveyed by the Minister of Trade while visiting Pasir Gintung Market, Bandarlampung, Saturday, January 7.

"As we know, the price of soybeans in the market is still very high, even though the government has assigned Bulog to import. This is one of our concerns too," said Zulkifli, as reported by Antara.

He said that with the high price of soybeans in the market, special interventions will be carried out next week.

"For this reason, there will be another meeting next week, later it will be traced why the price did not go down and if there is a difficulty we will go directly and ask where the difficulties are," he said.

According to the Trade Minister, currently the price of soybeans in the market is around Rp. 13 thousand - Rp. 14 thousand per kilogram. This price indicates that the soybean import process carried out by Bulog is not going well.

"If the process of importing soybeans, Bulog is carried out well, the selling price can be only IDR 11 thousand per kilogram from the current price which reaches IDR 13 thousand per kilogram," he added.

He hopes that with the government's efforts, it can immediately reduce soybean prices in the market, and make it easier for tofu tempe craftsmen to do business.

The response to the increase in soybean prices in the market was said by a tofu trader at Pasir Gintung Market, Wasni.

"The price if we take it from the Indonesian Tofu and Tempe Cooperative Center (Puskopti) the price of soybeans can still be between IDR 11 thousand-12 thousand per kilogram," said Wasni.

He said that buying outside Puskopti the price of soybeans could be much higher.

"Hopefully the price of soybeans can go down because if people can't afford to buy chicken, eggs, meat, fish, they rely on tofu and tempeh. But if the soybeans are expensive, you know, the price goes up, people will find it difficult," he said again.

Previously, it was known that based on data from Perum Bulog, the Lampung Regional Deviation in 2022, the need for Lampung soybeans had been channeled to Puskopti in the area based on its stages including

In the first phase of April 2022 with a ceiling of 4,568 tons has been realized as much as 8.9 percent or if converted there are 409 tons, then in May the ceiling of 2,862 tons was realized 800 tons or 27 percent.

Furthermore, in June, the ceiling value of 2,800 tons was realized by 50 percent or 1,450 tons, July with a ceiling of 2,800 tons, 1,180 tons or 41 percent have been realized.

Then the fifth stage was in October the ceiling of 2,000 tons, realization of 1,500 tons or 75 percent, and in November from the ceiling of 2,000 tons, the realization of 870 tons.