Bapanas Oversees Chilli Mobilisation from Enrekang to NTB, Dampens Price Surges
Jakarta — Indonesia’s National Food Agency (Bapanas) is overseeing the mobilisation of red bird’s eye chillies from Enrekang, South Sulawesi, to Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) to dampen price surges and maintain supply stability and affordability for the public.
“The government is accelerating price stabilisation for red bird’s eye chillies in NTB by mobilising supplies from the Enrekang production centre,” said Rinna Syawal, Director of Food Diversification and Consumption at Bapanas, confirmed in Jakarta on Monday.
Bapanas, through its Task Force on Price, Safety, and Food Quality Violations, conducted direct oversight of chilli distribution entering through Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport (Bizam) in Lombok on Sunday, 1 March.
Rinna stated that the measure represents the realisation of intensive coordination between Bapanas and the NTB Provincial Government over recent days to increase actual market supply. She explained that the intervention had been designed jointly with the regional government in response to chilli price dynamics in NTB.
“This is indeed a measure we prepared together with the regional government. As soon as supplies from the production centre become available, we immediately push them into NTB so that supply increases and prices can be controlled more quickly,” Rinna said.
In the initial phase, 1,180 kilograms of red bird’s eye chillies were mobilised from Enrekang farmers at a purchase price of approximately 58,000 rupiah per kilogram.
“We are pushing around 1.18 tonnes of chillies in from Enrekang through the Food Distribution Facilitation scheme. This is a measured intervention so that the supply increase is directly felt and helps dampen price pressure in the market,” Rinna explained.
She added that chilli prices are being maintained within a reasonable range at the retail level. At the retail stage, prices are set at approximately 63,000 rupiah per kilogram, whilst consumer prices are maintained at between 68,000 and 73,000 rupiah per kilogram to ensure affordability.
“We have also requested that price information be displayed at distribution points so the public is aware of the reference prices we have set,” she said.
Meanwhile, NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal stressed the regional government’s commitment to bringing in additional chilli supplies as a concrete step to suppress market prices.
According to him, strengthening supplies from outside the region is a quick strategy to dampen price volatility at the consumer level.
“We are not sitting idle. The regional government together with Bapanas ensures chillies are sourced from production centres so that supply increases and prices can soon fall. What is important is that the public regains access to chillies at reasonable prices,” he said.
“Alhamdulillah, prices for red bird’s eye chillies and chicken meat are showing a downward trend. This is the result of joint efforts, both in terms of supply and distribution oversight,” stated an official in Jakarta on Sunday, 1 March.
“We ensure that price and supply stability continue to be maintained. Market raids will continue to be conducted, and no business operators are allowed to manipulate food prices,” the official added.