PERILAKU PASAR GARAM DI KABUPATEN SUMENEP JAWA TIMUR

Abstract

Abstract: Sumenep Regency is one of salt producing areas in Indonesia. Salt plays an important role in almost all production and industrial processes since there is no substitute goods for salt. Therefore, salt becomes a strategic commodity. Marketing channel of salt is so far controlled by several companies of which downstream activities are dominated by large scale industries with strong network while upstream activities are dominated by salt management activities with simple technology. Hence, research on salt market behavior in Sumenep Regency is required. This research was conducted by applying purposive sampling. Approximately, 332 people are working as salt farmer in Sumenep. Sampling method used was simple random sampling conducted by selecting potential respondents considering their knowledge, skills and experience according to research field concerned. Results showed that salt marketing in Sumenep was inefficient, unfair and not transparent as seen from the result of market behavior analysis which showed that there was dominant institution, the processing company, in the implementation of marketing activities. Cooperation and dishonest practices existed in marketing process. Dishonest practices were seen from conditions such as: (a) collective traders were agents (or accomplices) of company, (b) salt sale was not accompanied by accurate weighing, (c) pricing was dominantly made by marketing agencies.

Key words: Jawa Timur, market behavior, salt