Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Sugar price in some traditional markets in South Kalimantan has dropped between Rp14.000 to Rp15.000 per kilogram, after a few months jumping to Rp19.000-Rp21.000 per kilogram.
Head of the South Kalimantan Trade Agency Birhasani here on Sunday (May 3, 2020) said, in the last few days sugar supply at the distributors and the markets is sufficient, thus the price has decreased, although it had not yet returned to the normal price of Rp12.500 per kg.
"Sugar stock is quite a lot, that is why the price is now (between) Rp14.000 and Rp15.000 per kg," he said.
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Either trader nor distributor cannot reduce the price to return to the normal price of Rp12.500 per kg, he said, because they bought at a quite expensive price.
Not only sugar, he added, but various other basic needs relatively stable, some even tend to drop. It occurred, not only because of enough supply, but people's purchasing power has relatively dropped.
The community's need for food has drastically gone down, while hotels, restaurants, and other bigger activities, which usually crowded in Ramadhan, are now dismissed.
No more public iftar (fast-breaking gathering) as usual in Ramadhan, as the government is applying social distancing. Even traditional markets are almost being deserted.
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The decline in demand for basic food, said Birhasani, has made some distributors to reduce supplying goods from outside the region.
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