The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has noted that cigarette spending, particularly kretek cigarettes that crackle with the burning of cloves, has become the second largest contributor to poverty, after food.
According to BPS records, cigarette contributed to the poverty figures at a rate of 11.17 percent in cities and 10.37 percent in rural areas. “The percentage of cigarette spending contributing to poverty rates is only outnumbered by the food component, in this case rice, which is in first position with a 20.35 percent in urban areas and 25.82 percent in the countryside,” said head of BPS, Cuk Suhariyanto.
Chicken eggs take the third spot in contributing towards poverty at 4.44 percent in urban areas and 3.47 percent in the countryside, meanwhile chicken meat contributed 4.07 percent in urban areas and 2.48 percent in the countryside.
Instant noodles also greatly contribute to poverty figures, with 2.32 percent in urban areas and 2.16 percent in the countryside. Other types of foods including sugar and powdered coffee are on the list too. Furthermore, non-food components such as housing, fuel, electricity, education, and toiletries also made the cut.
Suhariyanto said the poverty line is a minimum expenditure on food and non-food needs to be fulfilled in order to not to be categorised as poor. The people in question are said to be poor people who have average spending per capita per month below the poverty line.
The poverty line as of September 2019 was determined by BPS to be Rp440,538 per capita per month. The value of the poverty line has risen 7.27 percent compared to the same period in 2018.
Source: Kompas
Image: Boleh Merokok