Coordinating Minister for Food (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) said that the egg commodity has the potential to be a negotiating tool with the United States (US) regarding the implementation of a 32% reciprocal tariff against Indonesia. Indonesia has great potential to supply consumption of chicken eggs to countries that are experiencing production disruptions due to the HPAI outbreak, including the United States (US), which is reported to have a high deficit that has pushed up egg prices to USD 4.11 or equivalent to IDR 68,000. The egg commodity in the country has a national surplus of up to 288.7 thousand tons or equivalent to 5 billion eggs per month.
Zulhas said that the Government is trying to anticipate the tariffs that will be imposed by the US. According to him, in world trade, the ups and downs of the application of reciprocal tariffs will definitely occur. In addition, said Zulhas, Indonesian rice could also be one of the commodities that has the potential for export in the future. Based on the prediction of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia's rice production until April 2025 will reach 13.9 million tons, while the national demand averages 2.6 million tons per month, which means that Indonesia has a rice surplus of 3.5 million tons. Previously, Zulhas said that the Indonesian government would immediately conduct diplomacy with the US to anticipate reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. "Regarding tariffs, I have also coordinated with the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Airlangga. Of course we must do it immediately, as soon as possible to conduct diplomacy," said Zulhas. Zulhas said that Indonesia and the US are two countries that need each other. According to him, the US is the number one soybean supplier in Indonesia. He emphasized that there is no trade war or retaliatory tariffs for the US. Zulhas said that this can still be negotiated.
