Bapanas: Supply of Bird's Eye Chillies Remains Stable, Prices Gradually Stabilising

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Food Agency (Bapanas) states that the national supply of bird’s eye chillies remains stable, resulting in gradually stabilising prices during the first week of May 2026, driven by improved production in major centres and smoother inter-regional distribution.

“The national price of bird’s eye chillies showed a decline in the first week of May 2026,” said Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilisation at Bapanas, I Gusti Ketut Astawa, when contacted in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He explained that improvements in supply from production centres and strengthened inter-regional distribution have made bird’s eye chilli prices in markets start to move stably.

He noted that based on monitoring from the Ministry of Trade’s Market and Essential Needs Monitoring System (SP2KP) as of 12 May 2026, the national average price of red bird’s eye chillies is around Rp63,252 per kilogram.

This position is much lower compared to the period leading up to Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah/2026, when prices in several markets reached around Rp120,000 per kilogram.

He said the movement of bird’s eye chilli prices has become more controlled after supplies from several production centres resumed flowing to markets. Smooth distribution has caused the price pressure that increased during the Eid period to gradually decline.

“Red bird’s eye chillies are indeed affected if there is rain and some areas experience pest attacks from plant-disrupting organisms (OPT) and the like, which slightly disrupts them,” said Ketut.

Nevertheless, the national supply of bird’s eye chillies remains relatively safe, and consumer-level prices have experienced a significant decline compared to the previous peak demand period.

This improvement is evident from the number of districts/cities experiencing an increase in the Bird’s Eye Chilli Price Index (IPH), which has now dropped to 91 areas in the first week of May 2026, after reaching 127 areas in the third week of April.

“But in terms of supply, we monitor it as relatively good; in principle, it has dropped a lot. During the lead-up to Eid, from the fasting month to Eid, the price of red bird’s eye chillies was already at around Rp120,000 in markets. Now it has dropped significantly,” he said.

Ketut emphasised that the decline in bird’s eye chilli prices also has a positive impact on controlling national food inflation.

“This means inflation has dropped significantly. And above the Reference Selling Price (HAP), it’s okay, but relatively, the price has dropped a lot,” he added.

To maintain this improving trend, Bapanas is intensively coordinating with production centres and horticultural farmer champions to ensure bird’s eye chilli supplies remain smooth in all regions.

“So we will continue to monitor. We are also coordinating with bird’s eye chilli champions. How the supply and so on, that’s what we’re doing now,” explained Ketut.

The national supply of bird’s eye chillies until the end of 2026 remains in a safe position. Based on Bapanas’s National Food Balance Projection as of 5 May 2026, total bird’s eye chilli production this year is estimated at 1.59 million tonnes, with total national needs at 913,600 tonnes.

From this projection, end-of-year stocks are estimated to still be around 60,500 tonnes. Meanwhile, for the May 2026 period specifically, bird’s eye chilli availability is projected at 168,100 tonnes, while national needs are around 78,000 tonnes.

The supply balance for May is estimated to still be in surplus by around 90,100 tonnes, serving as an important buffer in maintaining price stability in consumer markets.

The current improvement in bird’s eye chilli supply conditions is supported by production from various horticultural centres that are starting to harvest. Inter-regional distribution is also being strengthened to ensure bird’s eye chilli supplies in consumption areas remain smooth and there is no supply shortage in people’s markets.

The government continues to monitor bird’s eye chilli price movements in markets and accelerate distribution from production areas to consumption regions to keep flowing.

“Harvests in several centres are starting to increase, and national stocks are still available, so bird’s eye chilli prices in markets are expected to become even more stable in the coming weeks,” said Ketut.