Friday, August 28, 2009

"Simalakama" Taste Sweet

Indonesian people shocked. Sugar price nowadays reach Rp. 10.500. Even in Ramadhan season, this price booming seems unexplainable. But, it still interesting that how people blame world market for sugar booming

There was a dilemma. Like other food commodity, sugar farmer feel normal sugar price are too low. On January 2009 (Kompas, 27 August 2009) price of rafinated sugar only $310 per tons. Fantastically, in 24 August price bounce up to $615 per tons. World price fluctuation is pointed out as main factor, which lead domestic price going higher. Sugar farmer looked happy, not so consumer (also me). Just like eating simalakama fruit, our ancestor said.

So, it's fair to blame the world market? It is true that our circumstance will get better if we going to autarky? I don't think so. Sucofindo co. assumed that our domestic production was only 2,74 million ton per year. Our Industrial (middle-higher scale) consumption is about 1.054.121 ton per year. At household level, we consume 11,86 kg per capita (since we have 200 million people, it means we consume 2.372.000 ton per year). From those sector, exclude household industry and small-scale industry, we need 3.426.121 ton per year. The only way is doing import.

Increasing import tariff idea and stop sugar import truly unrealistic. For short-run solution we need import. Further, we must consider on how we strengthen our supply side (more productivity) than consider on banning sugar import or close our sugar trade.

Yes, it's like eating simalakama fruit, but this one taste sweet

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Setahu gw, gula yang ada di gudang PTPN ataupun (jika ada) di BULOG itu udah ngga jadi kewenangan Pemerintah, dalam hal ini kedua BUMN tersebut, karena gula2 itu udah jauh2 hari dijual (pake cara kontrak) ke pihak swasta/asing..
Pihak swasta/asing tersebut tentunya menjual gula2 itu ke pasar internasional yang jelas punya harga jauh lebih tinggi dibanding pasar domestik..
secara bisnis, hal ini ngga jadi masalah, karena PTPN, BULOG, dan Swasta tidak ada yang dirugikan...terutama PTPN yang kehilangan resiko kerugian akibat minimnya manajemen dan teknologi penggudangan/distribusi
Namun idealnya, hal ini ngga boleh terjadi, karena tugas kedua BUMN tersebut seharusnya jadi penjamin ketersediaan supply kebutuhan pokok dalam negeri biar kita ngga jadi price taker gula dkk..bukan seperti sekarang, menjadi BUMN yang malah jadi rent seeker..

kigendengwaras said...

walaupun anonymous...hawanya dari sukabumi terasa banget..hahah

oke den thx..for info

brarti harusnya BUMN menjga supply doestik...tapi emang jelas supply kita juga kurang,

maksudnya memang masih butuh impor..dalam artian kalo mau nyelesain masalah yah benahi produktivitas dan seuai saran lw perbaiki fungsi BUMN..kurang pas kalo nyalahin pasar