The Struggle to Find Rice and Eggs Amid Limited Stocks in Flood-Related Areas |

Berbagai kebutuhan disiapkan untuk pengungsi korban banjir di KOta Lhokseumawe.

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Appeals from the government and various parties to traders not to raise prices of goods, especially food, have proven ineffective in the market. Prices for several basic necessities, such as eggs and rice, have risen by around 60 percent, although some wholesalers have claimed not to have raised prices.

Chicken eggs, for example, were once being sold for up to Rp 100,000 per carton. Under normal circumstances, they are only around Rp 53,000 per carton. However, on Monday, December 1, 2025, the price of chicken eggs in Lhokseumawe had dropped to Rp 80,000 per carton, although in some places they were still being sold for Rp 100,000.

"Even then, you have to buy in groups because the minimum purchase is 10 cartons," said Nurhayati, a housewife met at the Inpres Market in Lhokseumawe.

Not only are prices high, but some basic necessities have been difficult to obtain in recent days. A pickup truck of chicken eggs that arrived was immediately snapped up by residents. About an hour later, a pickup truckload of eggs was completely sold out, not only from Lhokseumawe City, but also from Krueng Geukueh, Geudong, and Syamtalira Bayu, North Aceh.

Even students from a religious boarding school (pesantren) in North Aceh were seen buying 10 cartons of chicken eggs and several cartons of instant noodles. They claimed to be buying various necessities to quickly stock their kitchens, which were quickly emptied due to limited aid.

Besides eggs, rice is also a limited necessity in the market. When information circulated on social media from the Commander of the 011/Lilawangsa Military Command (Korem 011/Lilawangsa), Colonel (Inf) Ali Imran, that Bulog rice could be purchased by the public at the normal price, people stormed the Bulog warehouse in Punteut, Blang Mangat District, Lhokseumawe. Information then circulated that people didn't need to come to the warehouse; they could simply queue at the Bulog office on Jalan Teuku Hamzah Bendahara.

However, when residents arrived, officers said the rice from the warehouse hadn't arrived yet, so they were asked to wait.

Armianto, a Lhokseumawe resident, said he was looking for several basic necessities such as cooking oil, rice, instant noodles, and chicken eggs. Unfortunately, he and several of his colleagues had to struggle to find all these necessities. Not only were stocks dwindling, but prices were also high, and there were restrictions on purchase quantities. "Maybe people thought we were hoarding and reselling. But we said we were for flood victims," ​​said Armianto.

The rice from Bulog is a type of SBHP (Stabilization of Food Supply and Prices), a government program run by Perum Bulog, provided to maintain price stability in the market. This medium-quality rice is affordable due to subsidies and is distributed through various channels such as markets, modern retailers, post offices, and the Cheap Food Movement.

The rice is sold at Bulog for IDR 60 per 5 kilograms. However, residents had to queue for a long time due to the large number of buyers. "We couldn't wait that long, so we ended up buying it at the Inpres Market for IDR 80,000 per 5 kilograms," said Armianto.

Lhokseuamawe Mayor Sayuti Abubakar issued a letter urging wholesalers not to sell staple goods at high prices. Sofyan, a wholesaler at the Inpres Market, admitted that many vendors at the market had not raised their prices. "You're welcome to come to our store; the prices are still the same as before the flood," Sofyan said.[]

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Saya ikut berburu bahan pokok untuk anggota keluarga besar Bawaslu Kota Lhokseumawe yang menjadi korban banjir.

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