REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, GRESIK — Kotakusuma Market in Sangkapura District, Bawean Island, Gresik Regency, East Java, began to be crowded again after the earthquake. According to the observation on Tuesday (26/3/2024) morning, a number of people swarmed to buy groceries.
In such markets there is a wide variety of food ingredients on sale, such as rice, chicken, beef, and eggs. One of the residents, Nur, claimed to have spent two days shopping in the market to meet daily needs after the massive earthquake on Friday (22/4/2024). “You have to buy it at the market, it's more complete, so it's nice to want to look for anything that's available,” said the Kotakusuma village resident.
Nur hopes there will be no more major earthquake events that shake Bawean. Last Friday's incident, he said, left residents traumatized. “May there be no more of his handmaids, fear me,” he said.
One of the beef traders at Kotakusuma Market, Uding, claimed that when the first earthquake shook Bawean, he was selling. He immediately closed the field and ran. “At the time of yesterday's earthquake we were still selling, going on two to three days off. Others are also mostly on vacation,” he said.
After the first earthquake, Uding admitted that he did not slaughter cows for sale because he feared spoilage. However, at present, beef stocks are called still safe.
The chicken trader, Sanwar, claimed to have kept selling during the first earthquake to this day. “Yes, it's still a sale, but the others are mostly off. If there are usually a hundred people, at the time of the earthquake there were only about 20 people,” he said.
Sanwar claimed to stay in the trade so that his chickens would be sold soon. Moreover, the price of chicken is rising. “Before fasting had risen in price, now one kilogram is Rp 60 thousand,” he said.
Before Ramadan, according to Sanwar, the price of chickens was still in the range of Rp 45 thousand-50 thousand per kilogram. Even though prices are rising, he said, the stock is still spelled out as safe. “If the stock of chickens is here, thank God, it is still safe, but not abundant. After yesterday's big earthquake, many are still buying,” he said.