Harga Pakan Ayam Naik, Peternak Menjerit

Overview

Farmers told President Joko Widodo at the State Palace that the biggest problems in laying-hen production are:

• Rising corn/feed prices, especially corn prices used as a key ingredient for feed.
• Egg prices that farmers say are too low.

They also asked the government to review the mismatch between feed costs and egg selling prices.

Expert Explanation: Why Prices Don’t Move Together

Agricultural expert Dwi Andreas Santosa explains that egg/broiler chicken prices and corn prices often do not move in sync because they are driven by different seasonal and production cycles:

• Egg and broiler prices typically follow a recurring pattern:

  • High at the start of the year
  • Falling to the lowest point around April
  • Rising again to reach a peak around July
  • Declining again into October

• Corn prices follow harvesting cycles:

  • Usually drop after harvest around March–April
  • Then rise again, often peaking around August–September
  • With hopes for a second harvest around October to help bring corn prices down

He argues that this mismatch is largely a market mechanism issue and is difficult to address directly through policy unless the government has adequate corn reserves—so it can release stock when corn is expensive and absorb supply when corn is cheap.

Policy Points Raised

Key points discussed include:

• Limited options without strategic stockpiles

  • The expert says the government’s practical options are limited unless it holds strategic corn reserves.

• Skepticism about importing as a quick fix

  • He criticizes the idea of importing corn to build reserves, noting that imports take time and cannot quickly solve an ongoing spike.
  • He implies imports should have been done months earlier to have an effect.

• Improve reserves management via Bulog

  • He suggests improving reserve management through Bulog, arguing that Bulog’s corn stock/role appears too limited so far.

• Target reserve size

  • He recommends maintaining reserves around 10% of national corn production.
  • With annual production around 11–12 million tons, this reserve level is suggested to help prevent feed-cost spikes from squeezing farmers.

Bottom-Line Takeaway

Overall coverage suggests farmers’ complaints about feed-cost inflation are expected to recur annually due to seasonal harvest patterns. Meaningful relief depends mainly on better corn stock management, rather than expecting immediate stabilization from price-setting.

Presenters or Contributors

• Dwi Andreas Santosa (agricultural expert)
• President Joko Widodo (referenced as meeting attendee)
• Syahrini (mentioned in subtitle context related to egg price concerns)