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View all search resultsPoultry farmers take to the streets as egg prices plunge
Thousands of farmers in Central Java, Jogjakarta and South Sulawesi staged simultaneous protests on Monday, calling on the government to take immediate steps to address the crisis and improve conditions for poultry producers.
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Members of the Solo Raya People’s Livestock Farmers Association deliver speeches during a protest on Aug. 5 in Solo, Central Java. The farmers protested high poultry feed prices and plumetting egg prices.
(Antara Foto/Maulana Surya)
C
hicken farmers in several regions are staging protests over plummeting egg prices and rising feed costs, squeezing profits and pushing many producers to the brink of bankruptcy.
Thousands of farmers in Central Java, Jogjakarta and South Sulawesi staged simultaneous protests on Monday, calling on the government to take immediate steps to address the crisis and improve conditions for poultry producers.
In Kendal, Central Java, around 1,200 farmers gathered at the Kendal town square. As part of the protest, they gave away 15,000 live hens to local residents free of charge.
Suwardi, chairman of the Kendal-based Unggas Sejahtera Cooperative (KPUS), said egg prices in the region had fallen to between Rp 19,000 and Rp 20,000 per kilogram, well below the ideal price of Rp 26,500.
At the same time, prices of corn and soybean meal, key ingredients in poultry feed, have risen by 25 percent. The increase has been driven by the weakening rupiah, which has raised the cost of imported soybean meal, as well as declining domestic corn production amid the ongoing dry season.
“Feed accounts for around 70 percent of production costs for laying hens, so the rise in corn prices has made the situation very difficult for us,” Suwardi said.
He urged the government to take immediate measures to bring down feed prices and ensure that egg prices remain at a level that allows farmers to operate sustainably.
