It is usual for the price of egg and chicken meat to fluctuate, however, (the problem is) the increase is too high: from Rp30–Rp32 thousand to Rp50 thousand.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that his government will review the supply of chicken meat to ascertain the reason for the surge in the price of the commodity.

"Usually, the price is about Rp30 to Rp32 thousand (US$1.99 to US$2.12), however, now it has reached Rp50 thousand (US$3.32). I will check; maybe there is a problem with the supply chain," he informed after visiting Palmerah Market here on Monday.

The President said he suspects that the price increase was triggered by the upcoming celebrations of Eid al-Adha 1444 Hijri. The government has announced a national leave from June 28–30, 2023, for the Muslim holy day.

"It is usual for the price of egg and chicken meat to fluctuate, however, (the problem is) the increase is too high: from Rp30–Rp32 thousand to Rp50 thousand. I will check (the changes in the price) directly in the field later," he assured.

Earlier, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said that the price of chicken meat and eggs had begun to fall, especially in Java region.

He noted that the price of eggs declined from Rp32 thousand to Rp30 thousand per kilogram, while the price of chicken meat fell from Rp46 thousand (US$3.05) to around Rp40 thousand (US$2.65) per head.

Ideally, the price of chicken meat must be around Rp37 thousand to Rp38 thousand (US$2.45 to US$2.52), he informed.

The minister said that it would take time to restore the price of chicken meat and eggs to normal because, although the price had fallen, it was still quite high.

It is expected that the prices of the commodities would stabilize within the next month, he added.

Meanwhile, Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said that his side will work to maintain the stability of commodity prices ahead of Eid al-Adha by implementing a cheap market program, supporting food distribution, and optimizing food assistance for poor people.

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Translator: Desca Natalia, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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