TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsIndonesia cuts live cattle price cap after beef traders’ strike
Beef prices in Indonesia usually climb ahead of Idul Fitri, which is expected to fall on March 21 this year, as seasonal demand rises during Ramadan and the festive period.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A seller cuts beef on April 6, 2021, at Cijantung market, Jakarta. The Director General of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture said that 188,000 cows were ready to be slaughtered to meet the availability of beef supply for the period of April and May 2021. (JP/Yulianto Catur Nugroho)
T
he government has temporarily lowered the reference price for live cattle purchases at the feedlot level to Rp 55,000 (US$3.55) per kilogram, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Thursday, in response to a strike by beef traders protesting high prices.
Beef prices in Indonesia typically rise ahead of Idul Fitri, expected to fall on March 21 this year, due to seasonal demand as households increase consumption during the fasting month of Ramadan and the festive period.
The policy will take effect until just ahead of Idul Fitri and will apply without quota limits, the minister said in a statement.
The decision was reached during a meeting on Thursday at the Agriculture Ministry attended by representatives of beef traders, slaughterhouse operators, feedlot companies as well as frozen beef and buffalo meat importers.
Read also: Tourism industry warns year-end slowdown may spill into Idul Fitri
Beef traders had complained that live cattle prices at feedlots were too high, pushing up carcass prices and squeezing margins at the retail level, Amran said. Feedlot operators, however, told the government that they were selling cattle below their production costs.
“The government will take firm action against any parties seeking to take excessive profits amid rising demand for basic necessities ahead of Ramadan and Idul Fitri,” Amran said, as quoted in a statement.
