The Jakarta Provincial Government has established a food supply center on Tidung Island, Kepulauan Seribu, called JakGrosir.
This facility was built to address the issue of higher food prices on the island, which are relatively more expensive than other areas of Jakarta due to its geographical location and transportation limitations.
A group of UGM students, part of the Student Creativity Program in Social Sciences and Humanities Research, investigated the effectiveness of the JakGrosir program.
The team consists of four students: Tri Asmara Ningmas, Tiara Nur Savitri, Hibatillah Lu’lu’in Nuril Laily (Regional Economic Development), and Fanny Fitria Rochmawati (Industrial Engineering).
“Research conducted over approximately three months has generally shown that JakGrosir, established in the Kepulauan Seribu, has been relatively effective in assisting several islands near Tidung Island after four years of operation,” explained Tri Ningmas.
Ningmas explained that JakGrosir, managed by the Regional Public Company, PD Pasar Jaya, receives goods from JakGrosir Kramat Jati for direct commercial sale and Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) subsidies.
Goods are delivered according to Gerai Pangan’s (JakGrosir Store) requests.
Approximately 53.91% of JakGrosir sales are dominated by Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) subsidy recipients, while commercial sales make up only 46.09%. This shows that JakGrosir is an effective food distribution solution for low-income communities below the Jakarta minimum wage.
Respondents in the study also assessed that JakGrosir has had a positive impact and provided significant benefits as a food supply center in the Kepulauan Seribu region, contributing to improved food security.
“The benefits felt by the respondents outweigh the costs or sacrifices incurred in obtaining food from JakGrosir,” Ningmas added.
The results of this research lead to policy recommendations for the government of the Kepulauan Seribu and the Jakarta Provincial Government in the future.
Policy options include price controls on food in the island region, ensuring that previously expensive and unevenly priced food becomes more affordable or consistently priced compared to the market prices in other areas of Jakarta.
Additionally, infrastructure improvements are needed to facilitate logistics and transportation to the scattered islands in the Kepulauan Seribu region.
Improvements in food supply and distribution will take time to reduce poverty. Hence, the primary priority should be food security through improved food supply and distribution systems.
Author: The UGM JakGrosir Research Team
Editor: Gloria