ENTERING this fasting month, Nanik could only look at the price of sugar in the market. At the shop where she is a customer in Klender Market, East Jakarta, the price of sugar rose from Rp8,000 to Rp9,000, and then on Friday last week, rose again to Rp9,500 per kilo. Because of this, Nanik chose to buy sugar from a Hero store at a price of Rp8,550.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, sugar has become somewhat bitter because the price has rocketed to Rp12,0