Bad Weather In Maluku Makes Red Chili Prices In Ambon Feel More 'Spicy'

Chili in one of the traditional markets (Photo via Antara)

JAKARTA - Prices of red chilies, long curly chilies and tomatoes in the traditional markets of Ambon City, Maluku, have risen quite sharply in recent days due to changes in weather.

Quoted from Antara, Saturday, June 11, at the Mardika Ambon traditional market, the price of red chilies is set at Rp. 50,000 per kilogram (Kg), curly chilies at Rp. 60,000/Kg, and tomatoes at Rp. 35,000/Kg.

"The price of red chili offered by traders in Mardika Market, Batu Merah and Lama markets is now around Rp. 50,000 to Rp. 55,000/Kg, or up from the previous Rp. 30,000 since three days ago," said Abu, a chili retailer. at the Mardika Market.

Meanwhile, long curly chili also increased from Rp. 40,000 previously, now it has increased to Rp. 60,000/Kg. There are even traders who offer Rp. 65,000/Kg depending on the chilies that look fresh.

He explained that the reason was because the supply was reduced due to extreme weather in the form of rain with a fairly high intensity in Maluku. In addition, the price of chili at the farmer level is also quite expensive at the moment, namely for red chili they peg Rp. 40,000/Kg, curly chili Rp. 50,000/Kg. As a result, traders raise retail prices in the market.

He explained that all the chilies sold in traditional markets were imported from Seram Island, Central Maluku Regency.

This is because chili commodity centers such as Taeno Village, Teluk Ambon District, Ambon City are affected by extreme weather which also affects the harvest period.

In addition to chili, tomatoes have also increased from the usual Rp. 18,000 to Rp. 20,000/Kg, but now it has reached Rp. 35,000/Kg. Even at the beginning of the second week of June 2022, the price of tomatoes reached the highest price of Rp. 40,000/Kg.

Waina, who is also a Mardika Market trader, said that for years she has been selling vegetables, this is the first time she has experienced the price of tomatoes reaching Rp. 40,000/Kg.

"It's really extraordinary, Brother, although today it has decreased by Rp. 35,000/Kg, it is still quite expensive, because from year to year in the Ambon market, the average tomato price is only around Rp. 18,000 to Rp. 20,000/Kg. , even at the beginning of May the price of tomatoes was only Rp. 14,000/Kg," he said with a laugh.

He said the price rose because the tomatoes sold by traders were supplied from Surabaya. Meanwhile, locally produced tomatoes have not yet entered the Ambon market due to the weather, so farmers have not yet harvested.

Head of Domestic Trade (Disperindag) Maluku Province Poli Jamlean who was contacted said the current price spike was due to unfavorable weather factors that affected the harvest period, especially for local farmers both on Ambon Island and Seram Island.

"So if the supply from local centers decreases, traders will bring in from outside the region, such as Surabaya, Makassar, to cover demand in Ambon City," he said.