AT stalls in Jakarta’s Tanah Abang Market, stacks of imported dates and pistachios from Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt typically lure crowds of customers.
But traders at the market, South-East Asia’s largest wholesale hub, warn that supplies of these Ramadan bestsellers are thinning and prices are rising as the escalation of the Middle East conflict has tightened the supply of goods that traditionally arrive through Gulf trade routes.
“The prices of certain dates have risen significantly... Bam dates, Golden Valley dates and pistachios. These have seen a sharp increase in the past few weeks,” said a sales attendant at the Shabani store in Tanah Abang.
At his store, the retail price of Bam dates, which originate from Iran, has gone up to 120,000 rupiah (RM27) per kilo, from 80,000 rupiah (RM18) a few weeks ago, a 50% increase.
At Elshanum, another Tanah Abang store specialising in dates and Middle Eastern nuts, a manager said his store’s retail prices for Golden Valley dates, typically among the cheapest and imported from Egypt, have climbed to around 50,000 rupiah (RM11) per kilo, up from 30,000 rupiah (RM7).
Dates are a signature food for breaking the fast, following the sunnah (traditions) of Prophet Muhammad, who broke his fast with dates and water.
Indonesian Muslims have long maintained this practice, making dates an indispensable speciality of Ramadan meals.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint linking the Middle East to the Arabian Sea and beyond, has seen massive disruptions as hostilities intensify.
For Indonesian importers who rely on this vital artery for products from the Persian Gulf, its closure has created a severe supply bottleneck.
Cargo that would usually arrive in Jakarta within weeks is now delayed indefinitely, with bulk shipments of dates, nuts and other Ramadan staples stranded at sea.
Muslim consumers say they are taking the rising cost of dates in their stride. Andre Des Putra, a Jakarta-based car mechanic, said: “So far, we can manage. We still break our fast with dates. But if the price increase gets ridiculous, we have alternatives, such as local sweets, cakes or fruits.” — The Straits Times/ANN
