Trade Minister Zulhas: Don't Be Too Cheap, Farmers Of Bankrupt

Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan said that some commodity prices are relatively cheap at this time, one of which is chili.

According to him, if prices continue to decline, then farmers will lose money.

Therefore, according to Zulhas, Zulkifli Hasan's nickname, the ideal price for chili is around Rp40,000 per kilogram (kg).

Zulhas said, with this price farmers get a profit, while consumers get a price that is not too expensive.

"Now it's cheap (the price of onions and chilies) is not too cheap. If it's too cheap, the farmers will go bankrupt. Chili is IDR 40,000, if chili is IDR 20,000, the farmers go bankrupt," he told reporters, Sunday, January 29.

Trade Minister Zulhas claims this price after he conducted a review of the market. One of them is the Cisalak Market he visited some time ago.

"The price is IDR 40,000 now, yesterday I just went to the market," he said.

Based on the National Food Agency Price Panel, it shows an upward trend in chili prices. Both curly chilies and red cayenne pepper. The national average curly red chili is IDR 40,950 per kilogram, this is up IDR 2,720 from before.

Meanwhile, the national average price of red cayenne pepper is around IDR 54,630 per kilogram. This price also increased by IDR 2,770 from before.

Meanwhile, the national average price for shallots is at IDR 39,460 per kilogram, and garlic is at IDR 28,050 per kilogram. Both of them experienced an increase of IDR 620 and IDR 350, respectively.