BANJARMASIN, S Kalimantan: Head of the South Kalimantan Trade Agency Birhasani said currently many egg distributors from East Java have stopped shipping to South Kalimantan due to significant price increases in their area, Antaranews Kalsel reported.
According to Birhasani the cessation of sending eggs from East Java to South Kalimantan caused the price of eggs in the province to soar.
“Usually (part of) the need of South Kalimantan eggs is supplied from East Java, but because now the price in Java is also high, many distributors choose to sell their eggs around their area even to Jakarta, which is considered more profitable,” he said in Banjarmasin, Tuesday.
These conditions make the price of eggs in some traditional markets in South Kalimantan rose significantly. Initially the price of eggs ranges from Rp22 thousand per kg and then continues to jump to Rp28 thousand to Rp29 thousand per kg.
“Now the price of eggs at the farm level alone has reached Rp26 thousand per kg, so that in the market can reach Rp28 thousand to Rp29 thousand,” he pointed out.
In addition to eggs, chicken price for each kg has also reached Rp38 thousand, even could reach Rp50 thousand. Usually, he added, the most expensive price, when the need jumped only up to Rp36 thousand.
“Actually South Kalimantan production is very sufficient for the needs of chickens, even South Kalimantan breeders also meet the needs of Central Kalimantan,” he said.
However, he added, due to the high price of animal feed and several central policies made chicken production slow.
Some of these policies include the issuance of a ban that farmers do not use antibiotics, because it will reducing the nutritional quality of chickens and also harmful to health.
Improving the quality of these nutrients, he added, now farmers are asked to reduce the use of antibiotics against chickens.
“Compared to other countries, the quality of chicken nutrition in Indonesia is very low, due to the use of antibiotics,” he said.
Because it does not use these antibiotics, makes chicken seeds susceptible to disease, and their growth becomes slow.
These conditions, caused production of chicken reduced, so the price becomes expensive.