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Jakartans enjoy subsidized staple foods amid skyrocketing prices
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A subsidized food bazaar held by Jakarta-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya in Glodok market on June 9. The city administration is holding bazaars in several markets across the capital to help stabilize the price of basic food commodities during Ramadhan. (Antara/Aprilio Akbar)
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ozens of people had been waiting in line on Thursday morning at Palmerah market, West Jakarta, to purchase cheap staple foods amid the rising price of basic food commodities during Ramadhan.
City-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya are holding similar subsidized bazaars in 20 markets across the capital as part of a month-long program from June 4 to July 17 to stabilize food prices and assist low-income people during the fasting month.
The goods sold at lower-than-market prices included cooking oil, beef, eggs, chicken, flour, onions and sugar, which were supplied by PT Food Station Tjipinang Jaya and city slaughterhouse operator PD Dharma Jaya.
Ida Nurbayani, 51, bought six packets of cooking oil, 5 kilograms of beef and 1 kg of eggs as soon as the tents of the bazaar opened at 8 a.m.
“The bazaar is so helpful in providing cheap staple foods, especially when prices increase during the fasting month,” Ida said enthusiastically.
Most buyers go after beef and chicken, as the costs for both had significantly risen even before Ramadhan.
The current average beef price in the capital ranges from Rp 117,500 (US$8.80) to 127,000 per kg. Meanwhile, chicken is sold for Rp 35,075 per kg, according to infopangan.jakarta.go.id, an official website run by the city administration.
However, the bazaar in Palmerah offered beef tenderloins at Rp 89,000 per kg, ribs at Rp 85,000 and Rp 78,000 for mince. Frozen chicken was sold at Rp 29,000 per kg, while people could buy eggs at Rp 22,000 per kg.
Sarif, the head of Palmerah market, said up to 300 people had come to the bazaar -- held every day since June 4 -- to buy staple foods. The bazaar already ran out of rice by Wednesday.
There is no official limit on how much a customer can buy, still monitoring officers will prohibit customers who suspiciously buy too much to prevent the staple foods being resold.
Separately, in Pos Pengumben market also in West Jakarta, people also swarm the subsidized bazaar. Although not as crowded as Palmerah market, the bazaar has been selling out its frozen chicken before 10 a.m each day.
Retno, the head of Pos Pengumben market said the bazaar had sold 150 kg of beef in only two days.
The city administration plans to hold bazaars in 44 locations across the capital targeting low-income residents, as well as residents of subsidized apartments and owners of the Smart Jakarta Card (KJP), from June 27 to July 1. (rin)
