Indonesians seek out cheaper food ahead of Ramadan as prices surge

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A smaller rice harvest and jump in demand for food ahead of Ramadan have pushed up prices.

JAKARTA – Across the nation, Indonesians are queueing for rice, sugar and other staples to try and beat rising prices ahead of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 12.

A 5kg bag of rice is sold at 59,500 rupiah, or 11,900 rupiah per kg, at these centres, while at traditional markets, the price is around 14,000 rupiah per kg as at March 7.Queues form hours before deliveries arrive at the government-run distribution centres, where residents are limited to one bag of rice, 1 litre of cooking oil and 1kg of sugar. At some supermarkets, shoppers are limited to one 2.5kg pack of rice.

Bulog has bought 300,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand and Pakistan, part of the import quota of two million tonnes for 2024.At one location in South Jakarta, a group of people waiting for their turns protested at a food bazaar, demanding purchases should be based on the number of coupons the organiser had collected hours before the distribution, instead of the queue.

“It’s quite a hassle to queue like this. I’ve never faced this kind of situation in the past. But prices of food nowadays are too high. I have no choice,” the 54-year-old father of three told ST. “When we hear information about food bazaars like this one, we just go.”

 

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