Basic Food Prices Rise, DPR Cecar Bos Bapanas

Head of Badanas Arief Prasetyo Adi (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Commission IV of the DPR RI highlighted the surge in prices for a number of staple foods which tend to continue to increase recently. Commodities that have increased are meat, eggs, media rice, and corn at the farmer level.

Initially, the Chairman of Commission IV of the DPR, Sudin, said that the lack of corn supply caused the price of corn for animal feed to be very expensive. For example, in Lampung with a water level of 15 percent has reached Rp6,500 per kg.

Meanwhile, continued the Sub-Department, for East Java it was Rp. 6,900 to Rp. 7,000 per kg. According to him, areas that are still a bit cheap are found in South Sulawesi.

"It's a bit cheaper than the island of Java," said Sub-Department in a meeting of Commission IV of the DPR, with the Minister of Agriculture together with the National Food Agency, ID FOOD, Pupuk Indonesia and its subsidiaries, at the DPR Building, Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday, November 8.

According to the Sub-Department, the supply of corn that is lacking for animal feed has an impact on the increase in the price of chicken and eggs.

"Meanwhile, the price of chicken meat and eggs is HPP (Basic Purchase Price) set by the Ministry of Trade, it is true that the Head of the Agency (Arief Prasetyo Adi)," said Sudin.

Sub-Department also asked the Head of the National Food Agency Arief Prasetyo Adi regarding the two commodities.

"Do you have an increase in chicken and eggs? How much percent?" he asked.

"There is a chairman. For eggs, so the beginning (November) is Rp. 20,000-Rp. 23,000 (per kg). Then the position today is Rp. 26,000 per kg to Rp. 28,000 per kg," said Arief.

The Sub-Department also asked again about the increase in the price of chicken meat. What about chicken meat?, "he said.

"For chicken meat, the selling reference price (HAP) is IDR 36,000 per kg," Arief replied.

Not enough, Sudin again asked whether the lack of supply of corn had an impact on production costs.

"Do production fees go up or not?", asked Sudin.

Arief also confirmed that currently there is an increase in production costs.

'Take all the chairmen,' replied Arief.

Sudin said that the condition of the scarcity of corn was used as an excuse to import wheat used for animal feed.

"For this reason, the Minister of Agriculture should look back on the target of a number of Indonesian food strategic commodities. Today is the implementation of a planting pattern with IP 300 or even 400 that has not had a major impact on increasing production and even encouraging pest attacks, because there is no time for rice and corn planting breaks. This is to be taken into account by the Minister of Agriculture and his staff," he said.