Tesis ini dilatarbelakangi oleh fenomena disparitas harga beras Indonesia yang semakin melebar antara level petani dengan level konsumen, sejak tahun 1998. Padahal, sebagai komoditas yang strategis, kebijakan perberasan seharusnya mampu menjamin harga beras yang tinggi di level petani namun tetap terjangkau di level konsumen. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah (1) untuk melakukan analisis pergerakan harga gabah kering panen (GKP) di level petani dengan harga beras di level konsumen, dengan menggunakan pendekatan teori Asymmetric Price Transmission, dan (2) menjelaskan faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap tingkat integrasi pasar dan transmisi harga beras petani – konsumen, yang dikaitkan dengan kondisi struktur dan perilaku pedagang perantara beras di Indonesia. Model yang digunakan dalam analisa adalah model error correction (ECM), yang diestimasi dari pergerakan data harga GKP di level petani dengan harga beras di level konsumen. Data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder bulanan dengan rentang waktu (time series) dari tahun 2000 sampai dengan tahun 2011. Hasil pendugaan model menunjukkan bahwa dalam jangka pendek transmisi harga GKP petani terhadap harga beras konsumen bersifat simetris, sementara dalam jangka panjang bersifat asimetris. Fenomena transmisi harga tidak simetris pada jangka panjang disebabkan oleh dua hal, yaitu (1) penyalahgunaan market power oleh pedagang perantara, dan (2) kebijakan Pemerintah. Pedagang perantara mendapatkan market power dari kondisi struktur pasar yang bersifat oligopolistik, dimana jumlah pedagang perantara relatif lebih sedikit dibandingkan dengan jumlah petani dan konsumen. Hal ini menyebabkan pedagang perantara memiliki posisi tawar yang lebih tinggi, sehingga memudahkan pedagang perantara untuk mengendalikan harga. Dalam hal kebijakan Pemerintah, berbagai kebijakan perberasan dirancang untuk mengintervensi harga di level petani agar berada di atas level harga Pemerintah, sementara harga di level konsumen diserahkan kepada mekanisme pasar. Hal ini menimbulkan persepsi pedagang perantara bahwa penurunan harga GKP petani hanya bersifat sementara, sehingga pedagang perantara tidak segera bereaksi terhadap penurunan harga GKP petani.

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The background of this thesis is due to the price disparity between the farm level and the consumer retail in rice sectors in Indonesia. The anomaly is the price disparity has widened after the liberalization of the rice market in 1998. As a strategic commodity in Indonesia, the government should develop a policy that can guarantee the price of rice is high at the farmers level and remain affordable at the consumer level.

The goal of this research is (1) to analyze the price transmission between the farm level and the consumer level in rice sector, by using the Asymmetric Price Transmission approach, and (2) to explain the factors that affect the level of market integration and rice price transmission between the farm level and the consumers level, which associated with the condition of the structure and behavior of Indonesian rice middle man.

The model used in the analysis is the error correction model (ECM), which is estimated from the movements of rice price in the farm level with the consumer level. The data used are monthly price in each level from 2000 to 2011.

Based on the model, the price transmission from the farm level to the consumer level is symmetric in the short term. Meanwhile in the long term, the price transmission is asymmetric. It means that the price transmission is caused by the long term factors, such as abuse of market power by the middle man and the government policy.

Middle man get their market power from the market structure of the middle man level which lead to oligopolistic market, where the number of middlemen are relatively few compared to the number of farmers and consumers. This causes the middle man has a higher bargaining position, so they can easily control the prices.

In terms of policy, the Indonesian government prefer to give more protection to farmer than to consumer. In the farm level, government made the Government Purchase Price Policy which aims to ensure that the farmer always get a better price (high price) by selling their rice. While, prices at the consumer level left to the market mechanism. This gives the perception in the middle man level that the falling price in the farm level only temporary, because the government will immediately intervene the market. This makes the middle man not immediately react for the falling prices in the farm level. On the other hand, the middle man believe that the rising price in the farm level is permanent, so they will increase the rice price in the consumers level immediately.