Deputy Minister Sudaryono Expressed The Government's Strategy To Lower Chili Prices

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Agriculture (Wamentan) Sudaryono revealed the government's strategy to reduce chili prices which continued to rise from the end of last month until the first week of Ramadan.

Sudaryono hopes that the government's action can reduce the price of chili within the next 2'3 days.

"We'll wait. We are still taking action at the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Agriculture, how we flood the commodities, chilies, and others in traditional markets, supermarkets, modern markets must exist," said the Deputy Minister when met by reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, March 4.

"We'll wait 2-3 days, God willing, hopefully it can go down a bit, and it can be enjoyed by all citizens, all our people who carry out fasting or those who don't, on the busy month of this commodity. We can enjoy the commodity (cabai) at a better price," continued Sudaryono.

Despite the price of chilies that tend to rise in the market, Sudaryono said the price of other food items was relatively stable during the first week of Ramadan. The prices that are believed to be stable include eggs, rice, cooking oil.

"The supply is sufficient, between demand and supply is high. So there is a high increase in chili," said the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

In order to keep prices stable, Sudaryono ensured that market operations would continue to be held, which so far have been running at 300 points at postal offices in various regions in Indonesia.

"We are working with the authorities so that the HET (highest retail price) is met. HET cooking oil, HET sugar, HET rice, etc. we fill everything. So far, it is not far from HET and relatively stable. Indeed, our homework is chili, red chili, curly branch, cayenne pepper, because the supply is the same, but the demand is much larger," said Deputy Minister Sudaryono.

The National Strategic Food Price Information Center (PIHPSN) shows the prices of various types of chilies in the market, ranging from large red chilies, curly red chilies, green cayenne peppers, to compact red cayenne peppers, to March 3, 2025. The increase has continued since the last week of February 2025 until the first week of March, which coincided with the first week of Ramadan.

The average price of red cayenne pepper in traditional markets reaches Rp100 thousand per kilogram, while for green cayenne pepper the average price is Rp69,150.00/kg, curly red chilies Rp68,350.00/kg, and large red chilies Rp65,550.00/kg. In several markets in Central Lombok today, the price of chili has reached Rp200 thousand/kg.

On a separate occasion, the Minister of Trade (Mendag) Budi Santoso revealed that red cayenne pepper had increased by 23.23 percent to IDR 81,700.00/kg (month to month).

"Regarding red chilies, we have also communicated with chili production centers such as in Magelang, East Java, and Sulawesi. In principle, the supply is reduced due to a lot of rain this month," said the Trade Minister during a working meeting with Commission VI DPR RI in Jakarta, Monday.