Keep Prices and Supply, 3.5 Tons of Aceh Chili Enter Medan

JAKARTA - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) together with the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) have again facilitated the mobilization of chili from Aceh Province to Medan City, North Sumatra. The total volume of chili mobilized reached 3.5 tons.

Deputy for Food Availability and Stability of Bapanas, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, said the shipment of chili from Aceh to Medan was part of efforts to maintain a balance between the interests of farmers and market stability, especially ahead of the 2025 Christmas and New Year 2026 (Nataru) momentum.

"The delivery of chili from Aceh to Medan is carried out in line with efforts to maintain the stability of supply and the price of chili also helps farmers in the Aceh region so that their production is absorbed well," said Ketut in his statement, Friday, December 26, 2025.

The chili harvested by farmers in Bener Meriah Regency was transported using an Airbus CN-295M aircraft belonging to the Indonesian National Army Air Force (TNI AU) and landed at Soewondo Air Base, Medan, around 15.00 WIB, Thursday, December 25, 2025. Upon arrival at the airport, the chili was immediately unloaded and handled by the offtaker to be distributed to the market.

According to Ketut, the 3.5 tons of chili transported consisted of 2.5 tons of curly red chili (CMK) and 1 ton of red cayenne pepper (CRM). All commodities were absorbed by offtakers in the Medan area at a purchase price of CMK of Rp. 18,000 per kilogram and CRM Rp. 25,000 per kilogram.

"The role of the offtaker who absorbs the production of Aceh farmers' chili at a reasonable price is very important so that the balance between the interests of farmers and market stability can be maintained."

"Especially at the Christmas and New Year momentum in North Sumatra, we need to ensure that food supplies are safe and prices are stable," said Ketut.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Indonesian Air Force which had supported the distribution of chili from Aceh to Medan.

"We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the Indonesian Air Force with the Airbus CN-295M aircraft that has transported and distributed chili from Aceh farmers to Medan," he said.

Previously, Bapanas and the Ministry of Agriculture also facilitated the transportation of chili from Aceh to Jakarta using a Hercules aircraft of 40 tons.

This step was taken after the Head of Bapanas, who is also the Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, responded to reports from regional heads in Aceh regarding the abundance of chili production that was difficult to market after the disaster.

"Our farmers, including chili, must not lose. We must help them. The results of their hard work must be well distributed to consumer areas that need supplies, such as Jakarta. We have done this," said Amran when reviewing the arrival of 40 tons of chili at Halim Perdanakusumah Airport, Jakarta, Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

Meanwhile, nationally, the balance of availability and needs of chili is ensured to be safe and sufficient. Referring to the Food Balance Projection, the monthly production of large chili is estimated to increase by 22.3 percent in December compared to November. Large chili in December can reach a production of 127,800 tons, while November reached 104,500 tons.

Meanwhile, the production of cayenne pepper in December 2025 is estimated to reach 108,600 tons. Of that, the monthly consumption needs of cayenne pepper nationwide for large cayenne pepper and red cayenne pepper are in the range of 76,000 to 78,000 tons. Thus, monthly production is still sufficient to meet consumption needs.

In addition, the stock of large chili and sweet peas nationwide until the end of 2025 is also still at a sufficient level. For large chili, the stock is estimated to be 63,400 tons by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the stock of sweet peas until the end of the year is in the range of 49,300 tons.