Red Cabai Rawit Price Breaks Rp90 Thousand, DKI Prepares Distribution of 3 Tons per Day from South Sulawesi

Illustration of chili. (Antara)

JAKARTA - The price of red chili (CRM) in Jakarta is still above the Sales Reference Price (HAP). At the Kramat Jati Central Market, the price for the best quality is now ranging from Rp. 75,000 to Rp. 90,000 per kilogram.

Head of the DKI Jakarta Food, Maritime, and Agriculture (KPKP) Office, Hasudungan Sidabalok, stated that the price increase was a concern for the local government because there was a fairly high disparity between the production center and the consumption market.

He explained that at the level of farmers in South Sulawesi, the price of CRM was in the range of Rp. 45,000 per kilogram. Meanwhile, on Java Island it ranges from Rp. 60,000-Rp. 80,000 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, at the consumer level, the Kramat Jati Central Market, the price has touched Rp75,000-Rp90,000 per kilogram for the best quality. According to him, there are several factors that trigger the surge in prices.

"The high price of CRM is due to high rainfall, the tradition of taking time off among farmers when welcoming Ramadan, and the increasing demand for CRM on religious holidays," Hasudungan told reporters, Thursday, February 19.

The DKI Provincial Government together with related parties has held a coordination meeting on Sunday, February 15, 2026, to formulate stabilization measures.

A number of production areas are said to be entering the harvest period, including Pangalengan, Cimenyan, Banyu Resmi, Garut, Sumedang, Semarang, Sleman, Magelang, Mojokerto, Blitar, and Banyuwangi.

"The estimate in the next 2 weeks is that the price of CRM at the Kramat Jati Central Market will gradually decrease because in some production areas they will start harvesting," he said.

To suppress prices, the National Food Agency will run the Food Distribution Facility (FDP) by buying chili from Java Island and/or South Sulawesi and distributing it through traders at the Kramat Jati Central Market at a maximum retail price of Rp5,000 per kg above the purchase price.

Supply from South Sulawesi will also be boosted by 2-3 tons per day by referring to the Kramat Jati Central Market price.

"The DKI Jakarta Provincial Directorate of Food, Maritime and Agriculture ensures that the sale price from retailers to consumers is in accordance with the specified price," he concluded.