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ince Friday, beef kiosks in the capital’s wet markets have stood empty after the city’s beef sellers staged a walk-out that left many Jakartans stunned.

The traders said their strike was in protest against the shortage and rising prices of meat, which some parties claimed was triggered by the government’s decision to drastically cut the quota of imported beef. The price of beef now stands at Rp 90,000 (US$9.30) per kilogram, up from the normal price of Rp 60,000.

The strike left a bad taste in residents’ mouths who were apparently unaware of what was happening. “This just makes our lives more difficult,” complained Eni Rahmawati, 31, who failed to get beef at Pasar Minggu market in South Jakarta on Saturday. She was told that the strike would last until Monday or Tuesday.

Yanti, 25, a housemaid in Kalibata, South Jakarta, said that the beef shortage had become a problem for her employer. “Bapak and Ibu just told me to go with chicken or fish for the time being,” she said.

According to media reports, beef vendors in several markets, including Senen and Palmerah, arrived at their stalls on Friday and just sat down and talked with one another without selling anything. In other places like Cempaka Putih market, vendors are said to have been on strike for a number of days.

Beef sellers in Depok also joined the strike though their motive was unclear. Zalfinus Irwan, an official at the regency’s animal husbandry agency, said that the beef stock in Depok was more than sufficient.

With traditional markets out of the picture, residents were forced to turn to supermarkets as the only place to get raw beef in the city. In a Carrefour outlet on Jl. MT Haryono in South Jakarta, beef is sold at prices ranging from Rp 60,000 to Rp 70,000 per kilogram, depending on the type. However, it remains unknown if prices will remain stable.

The Jakarta Meat Committee, whose members include beef importers, claimed that the shortage was caused by the Agriculture Ministry’s policy to cut imports of beef by 20 to 30 percent, as the ministry believed that local supply was sufficient to meet local demand. The committee has asked the government to import another 15,000 tons of beef to prevent prices from rising further.

If nothing is done, the price could reach Rp 125,000 per kilogram ahead of Christmas and New Year’s, committee chairman Sarman Simanjorang said in a statement released on Saturday.

“The region that will feel the impact of the lower import quota policy is Jakarta, as the beef supply in the capital mostly comes from outside. That’s because Jakarta does not have its own farms,” he said.

The committee further warned the government that should they fail to address the problem, the small and medium enterprises that rely on beef for their business would be the major victims. (fzm)