Cinnamon from disaster-hit area in Agam reaches European market
Agam Regency — Agricultural produce in the form of cinnamon (Cinnamomum) from farmers affected by the flash floods of late November 2025 in Malalak sub-district, Agam Regency, West Sumatra, has successfully reached the European market.
“Cinnamon from here in Malalak is sold to Bukittinggi first, then exported to Europe and Malaysia,” said Roni, a cinnamon collector in Jorong Toboh, Nagari Malalak Timur, Malalak sub-district, Agam Regency, on Sunday.
He said the price of the spice — commonly used in cakes, beverages and cooking — currently varies at the farm level depending on moisture content. The lowest price for one kilogramme of cinnamon is Rp30,000, while the highest reaches Rp40,000 per kilogramme.
“Today the highest purchase price for cinnamon at the farm level is Rp37,000 per kilogramme for the best quality, but it still contains some moisture,” he said.
Roni currently holds a stock of around 2.5 tonnes of cinnamon ready to be sold to Bukittinggi and subsequently exported to Europe or Malaysia. Sales to exporters typically depend on overseas market demand.
When flash floods struck Malalak sub-district on 26 November 2025, Roni said he was completely unable to buy or sell cinnamon for an entire month.
Apart from the total severance of road access to Bukittinggi via Malalak, cinnamon farmers were also unable to harvest the spice crop. According to him, for one month after the disaster, local residents were still focused on recovery efforts and the search for victims who had not yet been found.
Meanwhile, cinnamon farmer Andri Yandra noted that before the COVID-19 pandemic, cinnamon prices could reach Rp50,000 per kilogramme. However, since the pandemic struck, prices fell drastically to as low as Rp24,000 per kilogramme.
He said the purchase price of cinnamon does not meet farmers’ expectations, as it takes a minimum of seven to 15 years before a cinnamon tree can be harvested.
“We have to wait 15 years before we can harvest, but when we sell, the price is only around Rp30,000,” he said.
He called on the government, through the relevant agencies, to pay attention to the selling price of cinnamon at the farm level, as cinnamon is one of the community’s primary livelihoods alongside rice farming.