Sugarcane producers urge the government to monitor domestic sugar prices as the peak harvest season is imminent

Leading up to the peak sugar cane harvest season in early June 2020, several farmer associations in the major producing provinces such as Lampung and Jambi are lobbying the government to actively monitor the price of sugar at the farmgate level. The peak of harvest season would mean that the supply of sugar would be ample, so the price of this commodity can drop significantly lower than the current price. Right now, local sugar is valued at IDR 12.000/Kg, and it is predicted that the price could go as low as IDR 10.000/Kg in June 2020. One solution that currently being proposed by the associations is for the government to limit the supply of imported sugar in the national market, to make room for the locally-produced sugar to be distributed to the national market.