Tofu, Tempe Makers Protest Against Soybean Price Hike

Jakarta (Antara) - The Association of Tofu and Tempe Producers (Gakoptindo) has announced that it will halt production between September 9 and 11 as a protest against the rise of soybean price. "The increasing price of soybean, as a result of rupiah's depreciation against the US dollar, has forced many tofu and tempe producers to reduce their production or reduce the size of manpower. The aim of the protest is to warn the government and put pressure on it to address this matter immediately," said Gakoptindo Chairman Aip Syarifudin on Thursday. Aip has urged the government to issue policies which will help normalize the price of soybean. The current price of soybean in Indonesia is around Rp9,000-10,000 per kilogram, an increase from the previous price of Rp8,700. On September 3, the Ministry of Trade announced that it will increase soybean importation allocation of the State Logistics Agency, Bulog, to 60 thousand tonnes until the end of 2013. Director General of Foreign Trade of Trade Ministry Bachrul Chairi said Bulog has been given additional 40 thousand tonnes importation allocation, making it 60 thousand tonnes. "In total, the government's importation allocation was 584 thousand tonnes plus the additional 40 thousand tonnes or at least 624 thousand tonnes," added Bachrul Chairi. The addition to Bulog's importation allocation is due to shipping efficiency, noted Bahrul. Meanwhile, Gakoptindo has been given 20 thousand tonnes importation allocation. Despite all the policies, the buying price of soybean remains high, averaging Rp9,000 per kilogram. While the national demand for soybean has hit 2.5 million tonnes a year, the domestic soybean production stands at only 700,000 tonnes. (*)