Improving Agricultural Market Performance:

Developing Agricultural Market Information Systems

reports. Publications are available in both Bahasa Indonesia and English. The WFP’s Food

Security Monitoring Bulletin is produced with funding support provided by the Government of

Germany. The

bulletin is produced by a Technical Working Group (TWG) led by the Indonesian

Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG). Members of the TWG include the

MoA, the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), National Disaster Management

Authority (BNPB) and the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS). The

WFP and

FAO provide technical

support, including the generation of maps and data analysis.

The bulletin tracks food retail prices (based on Ministry of Trade data), for example before and

during the Ramadhan (fasting period), showing price fluctuations (often in graphs) and the

potential impact on the most vulnerable households. In Box 7 is an example of WFP’s Food

Affordability Report, the cover page of which is depicted in Figure 36. Food prices tend to rise

before and during Ramadan, reflecting the increased seasonal demand during the fastingmonth.

While retail prices of rice, cooking oil, sugar, fresh fish (mackerel) and beef meat can increase

slightly around this time, prices of chicken meat, eggs and onion show more consistent and

higher increases over the past 10 years. In 2016, national retail prices of chicken meat rose by

12.9 percent and chicken egg prices by 9.2 percent in nominal terms, compared to the prices 3

months prior to Ramadan. This increase was consistent with the trend over the past 10 years.

Prices of onion around Ramadan in 2016 show several increases, likely caused by other factors

beyond the Ramadan-driven demand. However, in the past 5 years, the rise in onion prices

before Ramadan was more significant, ranging from around 10 to 50 percent in nominal terms,

compared to the prices 3 months before Ramadan. Increases in rice, cooking oil, fresh fish and

sugar prices during Ramadan are not as consistent as they are for chicken meat, eggs and onion.

The price trends are illustrated in Figure 37.

Figure 36: Front Page of WFP’s Food Security Monitoring Bulletin in Indonesia

Source: Food Security Monitoring Bulletin, INDONESIA, Special Focus: Food Affordability and Ramadan, Volume

6, April 2017, WFP