Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia \u2013 Chilli prices have surged because of supply\nshortages caused by lower production.<\/p>\n
The average retail price of bird\u2019s eye chillies reached Rp81,341 per\nkilogram in September 2026, exceeding the Rp63,068 price for red\nchillies. A year earlier, bird\u2019s eye chillies were still cheaper than\nred chillies.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Institute for Economic and Social Research\nat the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM\nFEB UI), the greatest retail price pressure was on red bird\u2019s eye\nchillies, which rose 84.53% year on year in September 2026. This was\nfollowed by green bird\u2019s eye chillies, up 48.09%; curly red chillies, up\n17.29%; and large red chillies, up 10.64%.<\/p>\n
The increase in bird\u2019s eye chilli prices was also evident month on\nmonth. The average retail price of red bird\u2019s eye chillies rose 39.33%\nfrom August to Rp92,505 per kilogram, while green bird\u2019s eye chillies\nclimbed 18.26% to Rp65,966 per kilogram.<\/p>\n
\u201cSupply disruptions due to limited water amid El Ni\u00f1o conditions are\none factor that could explain the sharp rise in the prices of bird\u2019s eye\nand red chillies,\u201d LPEM FEB UI said in its report, cited on Tuesday (20\nOctober 2026).<\/p>\n
Prolonged dry weather and hot conditions have reduced harvests, while\nadditional supplies from new plantings will take time to reach the\nmarket. The supply-side disruption is reflected in chilli price\nincreases at every level, particularly for red bird\u2019s eye chillies:\nretail, wholesale and producer prices.<\/p>\n
In September 2026, the average producer price of red bird\u2019s eye\nchillies reached Rp55,139 per kilogram, up 49.58% year on year. The\nwholesale price rose even more sharply, by 91.14% to Rp75,743 per\nkilogram, while the retail price increased 84.53% to Rp92,505 per\nkilogram.<\/p>\n
Compared with August 2026, increases were also greater at wholesale\nand retail level, at 45.04% and 39.33% respectively, than at producer\nlevel, where the rise was 24.98%.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese changes reaffirm that price pressures are reaching every level\nof trade, including producers,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
Regionally, retail prices for red bird\u2019s eye chillies rose year on\nyear in all 30 provinces surveyed, although prices paid by consumers\nvaried widely. The September 2026 average reached Rp140,468 per kilogram\nin Gorontalo and Rp140,270 in North Sulawesi, compared with Rp56,234 in\nNorth Sumatra and Rp64,470 in East Java.<\/p>\n
The largest retail price increase for red bird\u2019s eye chillies was\nrecorded in South Sulawesi, where prices rose 189.40% to Rp79,605 per\nkilogram, still below the national average.<\/p>\n
Price increases for commodities depend heavily on supply availability\nand location, which determine the distance between markets and\nproduction centres.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the substantial price disparities in volatile food\ncommodities, price controls should also take distribution and the\nequalisation of supply into account, so that the burden of price\nincreases is not concentrated in areas located far from production\ncentres.\u201d<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/chillies-become-scarce-sending-prices-soaring-1792471850", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }