July 2, 2026
 

Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry seeks to triple egg consumption in school meals programme as farmgate prices collapse on Java

The ministry is also pushing for state food enterprises to absorb and redistribute eggs from oversupplied Java to higher-priced outer island regions, and has asked the Industry Ministry to restrict large corporate investment in poultry farming.

Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry is pursuing a range of emergency measures to arrest a collapse in egg and broiler farmgate prices on Java, including a proposal to increase egg consumption under the national free meals programme from once to three times per week and restrictions on large-scale corporate entry into the poultry sector.

Agung Suganda, Director General of Livestock and Animal Health at the Agriculture Ministry, told a parliamentary hearing on 1 July that the price decline was concentrated on Java, while outer islands including Gorontalo, Maluku and Papua were still recording egg prices of around IDR30,000 per kilogramme (US$1.83/kg). He said the ministry was urging producers in Java's East and Central regions to shorten distribution chains by selling directly to end consumers, and called on the House of Representatives Commission IV to support state food enterprises taking a larger role in absorbing and redistributing eggs from Java to higher-priced regions.

Agung expressed cautious optimism on broiler prices, saying farmgate values were expected to recover to a minimum of IDR19,500 per kilogramme (US$1.19/kg) for all sizes by 15 July.

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has written to the National Nutrition Agency requesting that egg consumption under the Makan Bergizi Gratis (Free Nutritious Meals) programme be increased from one to three days per week. The increase would take effect when the one-month school holiday ends, which the ministry expects will also naturally lift demand.

Agriculture Ministry Secretary General Suwandi attributed the immediate demand weakness to a sequence of seasonal factors - Eid al-Adha livestock sacrifices, the Islamic New Year holiday and the extended school break - which together reduced egg consumption across a compressed period.

Separately, Amran has also written to Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita requesting tighter controls on large corporate investment in the poultry farming sector, aimed at protecting smallholder producers from competition with vertically integrated industrial operations.