Malang, en.SERU.co.id – Several tempe producers in Penarukan Village, Kepanjen District, Malang Regency, are voicing concerns over skyrocketing soybean prices, which are significantly cutting into their income.
Suharni, one longtime tempe maker who has been in the business for 43 years, says she’s at a loss amid the surge in the main raw material’s cost.
To keep selling, she has opted to shrink the size of her tempe portions rather than increase prices.
“The price per box is Rp3,000 – we can’t raise it, so we just make them smaller,” Suharni explained.
She noted that whole soybeans previously cost Rp8,400 per kilogram but have now climbed to Rp9,600 per kilogram. In a single production batch, she uses about 30 kilograms of soybeans.
At its peak during the Covid-19 pandemic three years ago, the price even hit Rp11,400 per kilogram.
“The highest was Rp11,400 back then,” she recalled. “In the end, we made them tiny – we just can’t raise the price.”
Fellow artisan Satuni faces the same issue. She refuses to reduce sizes or hike prices, meaning the higher soybean costs directly erode her usual profits.
When soybeans were cheaper, Satuni could earn up to Rp300,000 in profit from one 50-kilogram sack.
Now, that margin has shrunk considerably. This small-scale business remains the primary livelihood for her and her husband.
“The selling price stays the same, the size stays the same. We’re not losing money, but the profit is paper-thin. When soybean prices drop, there’s a bit left over; when they rise, there’s nothing. If they go up, there’s basically no profit. We just manage to get by and eat,” she said. (wul/mzm)
