By: Edi Jatmiko )*
Groceries such as rice, sugar, and others are the basic needs of the people and they buy for stock during Ramadan. Although there is a Covid-19 pandemic, the government guarantees that its supply is very adequate. The community does not need to fear running out of food.
The 2020 Ramadan is different because it was done in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is an appeal to stay at home so that people buy rice, sugar and other basic food supplies for a month, because they are not allowed to leave the house often. Moreover, they also need rice to be distributed for zakat fitrah, so it’s only natural to buy a little more than on a normal day.
The community can calmly shop because the rice supply in Bulog is also very sufficient. There is no scarcity of these staples, especially soon the grand harvest. Certainly the rice will be abundant. So, they are expected to buy enough rice for a month, and not buy up to sacks and panic buying for fear that the city will be locked down during the co-19 pandemic. Because this can lead to an increase in rice prices.
In the month of Ramadan, sugar purchases jumped because it was needed to make sweet drinks when breaking and also Eid cookies. Don’t worry, the supply of sugar is also safe because there is a market operation. This is done to overcome the scarcity that occurs due to the sugar mill no more.
At least 250,000 tons of granulated sugar are poured into market operations, and not only distributed around Jakarta. But also in Central Java, East Java, to Kalimantan and other islands. So people can buy it and get it at a slightly cheaper price than on the market.
The price of eggs also dropped slightly, from 25,000 to 22,000 rupiah per kilogram, because of its abundant stock. This makes the mothers happy because in this month of Ramadan eggs are a favorite side dish that is practical to cook when breaking the fast. Eggs are also very much needed by pastry entrepreneurs as one of the ingredients for making cookies. An adequate egg supply certainly makes them feel calm.
In addition to sugar and eggs, garlic is also a kitchen that must be sought by mothers. This type of onion is also believed to increase immunity to ward off the corona virus, so indeed more people are hunting for it. The stock of garlic has begun to stabilize and the price is not too expensive, only around 40,000 rupiah per kilogram. In addition to local garlic, there will be additional imported onions whose goods will arrive in a little while. So it is certain that the supply is safe and there is no scarcity of onions on the market.
The stock of chicken meat on the market is also very adequate and the price actually drops dramatically, whereas usually during Ramadan, the price jumps very high. Usually chickens sell for 35,000 to 40,000 in the fasting month, but this time the traders priced them at only 25,000 to 28,000 per kilogram. The reason is the abundant supply of chickens while demand from restaurants declined, because on average they close in the fasting month.
During the co-19 pandemic and the month of Ramadan, the supply of food and other food items was guaranteed safe. The community does not need to fret and buy up rice, because Indonesia is still safe and will not be locked down to avoid the spread of the corona virus. You can shop for stock, but don’t panic buying and buying groceries so that others can lose money, because the price can go up (according to economic law).
The government has established market operations to ensure that Indonesia’s sugar supply is safe and that rice stocks are also very large because there is a big harvest ahead of the middle of this year. Stock of other ingredients such as chillies, onions, eggs and chicken are also available. Even though we are undergoing Ramadhan in the midst of the co-19 pandemic, the groceries circulation is still smooth and people are asked not to panic. Because the government has guaranteed the security of the supply of nine staples.
)* The author is a citizen, active in the Press and Cikini Student level