Forget the traditional Lebaran dishes like lontong sayur and beef rendang – the government wants you to have lontong sayur and fish rendang instead.
The price of beef has been a contentious issue in Indonesia lately, as its market price isn’t dropping below the government’s recently set price ceiling, which is Rp 80,000 per kg, despite attempts to import more beef into the country.
As beef prices remain over Rp 80,000 and the government has seemingly run out of options to manipulate the price themselves, they have now initiated a campaign for Indonesians to substitute beef with fish, especially for the Lebaran holiday, when demand for beef is typically highest.
“This campaign to eat fish is so people substitute it for beef,” said Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, as quoted by CNN Indonesia yesterday.
Pramono said President Joko Widodo instructed the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Fisheries Ministry to increase the supply of fish.
“The Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs was given until July to implement this policy,” he said.
This is like being given a choice between a ridiculously overpriced beef burger and a fish fillet burger. Quite the dilemma indeed.
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