The aroma wafted through the air as acting Jakarta governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama delivered his remarks at the official opening of the Jakarta Folk Fair (PRJ) at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.

The fragrance was coming from hot dodol, a fudge-like dessert made from glutinous rice, palm sugar and coconut milk that was being stirred in a big wok by Rizal, a Betawi man dressed in traditional attire.

Rizal, 34-year-old dodol maker, said he got the opportunity to sell his dodol at this year'€™s PRJ after applying to the event'€™s organizing committee.

'€œThey were interested in my idea and gave me this stand for free,'€ he said, adding that it took at least six hours to cook a batch of fudge. Rizal said it was his first experience selling dodol without having to pay for a booth. '€œI usually sell at a weekend market where I pay at least Rp 25,000 [US$2.10] for one day,'€ he said.

Rizal, who inherited his dodol business from his grandmother, said that selling dodol was a seasonal business, so meeting new customers was important.

'€œMost of my sales are special orders, so an event like this helps with promotion,'€ he said, 1 kilogram of his original-flavor dodol goes for Rp 50,000 per kilogram but he also sells dodol flavored with sesame and durian.

Rizal is just one of hundreds of small traders given free booths to promote their products during the week-long event.

To celebrate the 487th anniversary of Jakarta'€™s founding, the city administration decided to relocate the PRJ to Monas after determining that the former site in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, was not accommodating of small- and medium-scale enterprises as well as low-income families.

In previous PRJ'€™s, visitors paid admittance fees ranging from Rp 20,000 to Rp 30,000 for entry alone. Meanwhile, vendors were required to pay a fee for their rented booths.

Ahok said in his opening speech that as a consequence, the fair became too expensive for small-scale sellers and low-income families.

'€œThe price of kerak telor [traditional Betawi omelette], for example, is around Rp 30,000. That is too expensive for low-income families,'€ he said. '€œIn this fair, the price of kerak telor will not be more than Rp 10,000,'€ he added.

He said that in this year'€™s fair, most sellers would not have to pay any rental fees for vending stations, but that vendors should clearly list prices so as not to confuse customers.

Exhibiting a relaxed demeanor, Ahok said most participants in the fair were small-and medium-sized enterprises (UMKM) that were selected fairly by the UMKM Agency.

Industry and Energy Agency head Haris Pindratno, also chairman of the fair'€™s organizing committee, said that some 2,780 small- to medium-sized sellers would be subsidized by the 91 larger enterprises who would have to pay to participate in the fair.

Haris said the products in the fair were varied, ranging from the culinary to the creative. '€œThe participants have been chosen through a fair selection process that was conducted by event organizers, the Indonesian Culinary Association and teachers of SMKN Vocational School 27 Jakarta.'€

According to Haris, the fair will stage 80 performances during the six-day festival. Each day will have a special theme, such as Jakarta with a Story, Beautiful Jakarta and Healthy Jakarta.

Take Laili, a 21-year-old restaurant worker in the nearby Gambir Station, said she enjoyed strolling around Monas to see the stands.

'€œI tried bir pletok [traditional Betawi beverage] for only Rp 5,000,'€ she said, adding that the price was quite affordable.

Laili, who lives in Depok, West Java, said she was glad the event had been moved to Monas because now she did not have to pay an entrance fee.

'€œI think I will visit the fair again to see a performance,'€ she said.

Although vendors do not have to pay rental fees, some of them still sell over-priced food.

One kerak telor seller, 26-year-old Beno Septian, said his prices ranged from Rp 15,000 to Rp 20,000.

Popular

To my horror, it’s just a movie!

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Pentagon chief congratulates Prabowo on being elected President