TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga dismissed the issue of increasing egg prices. He claimed he had visited a number of markets in various regions and that the price of the commodity is indeed varying but still reasonable.

“The price fluctuation [in egg prices] do occur, but in the markets I visited, the prices are relatively stable,” Jerry said when met at the Trade Ministry office, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

Jerry said that he had conducted a market review in Subang, Solo, and Lampung. He did not deny that the price of eggs soared to Rp40,000 per kilogram, but he assessed that many regions still saw price drops of up to Rp25,000 per kilogram.

“The prices vary. So, of course, we hope there is a balance,” he said.

He also argued that what is more important than price hikes is supply availability. He ensured that the commodity stocks in all parts of Indonesia are sufficient. The Trade Ministry would continue to monitor egg price developments directly and through local government reports.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Market Traders Association (Ikappi) Secretary General Reynaldi Sarijowan revealed that the price of chicken eggs has been increasing in the market in the last few weeks. He opined that it is attributable to the price of feed and abnormal distribution process which disrupts supply and demand in the market.

RIANI SANUSI PUTRI

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