Rawit Chili Prices Soar High, Badanas Holds Meetings With Farmers

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) held a meeting with chili farmers. The meeting was to discuss the soaring price of chili in the market, even in the Jatinegara and Kramat Jati markets reaching Rp130,000 per kilogram (kg).

Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), I Gusti Ketut Astawa said this meeting was held to find out the current condition of chili farmers.

"We will hear directly from our farmers, our farmers, how good their condition is in Sulawesi, in Central Java, East Java, West Java, maybe also the NTB and so on, how is the real condition, so we can understand why this price can be high," said Ketut in a virtual chili SPHP coordination meeting, Thursday, January 9.

Ketut said that the production of red cayenne pepper in December 2024 was indeed a bit vulnerable. So, he said, this condition made the price of chili in January 2025 increase.

"Well, the current condition is that the red chili pepper, East Java, is at the consumer level as of January 7, including Jakarta to Rp130,000," he explained.

As of January 7, said Ketut, the supply at the Kramat Jati Main Market was at 19 tons. He said the supply of red cayenne pepper in the market had decreased.

"This is far down 24 percent and this is one of the reasons (the price of chili goes up). Even though I got a lot of information by telephone, but I or we want to hear directly from farmers the real conditions in the field, what is the cause of the decline in supply," he said.

Previously, it was reported that the price of red cayenne pepper was getting higher in the market, even reaching Rp130,000 per kilogram (kg). The price of red cayenne pepper is currently equivalent to the price of 2-quality beef which is recorded at Rp130,050 per kg.

Referring to data from the National Strategic Food Price Information Center (PIHPSN) Wednesday, January 8, the national average price of red cayenne pepper reaches IDR 85,100 per kg. However, in some markets the price has reached IDR 130,000 per kg.

As in Jatinegara Market, it reaches Rp. 130,000 per kg. Meanwhile, Kramatjati Market costs Rp. 133,150 per kg. Then, at Pasar Minggu, the price of red chili pepper was recorded at Rp. 110,000 per kg.

Meanwhile, the price for the type of red chili is around Rp. 57,750 per kg. The price of this type of chili also recorded an increase of Rp. 300 or 0.52 percent nationally on average.

Likewise, the type of green cayenne pepper is Rp. 60,900 per kg. This type of chili has increased by 21.31 percent nationally on average.