Government Delivers Enrekang Chilli to NTB to Drive Down Prices
JAKARTA – The Indonesian government has dispatched red bird’s eye chilli produced in Enrekang, South Sulawesi to the Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) market via air freight on Sunday, 1 March 2026.
Rinna Syawal, Director of Food Diversification and Consumption at the National Food Agency (Bapanas), stated that the agency deployed a team to oversee the distribution process at Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport (Bizam) in Lombok.
The inter-island chilli mobilisation aims to dampen red bird’s eye chilli price volatility in NTB by channelling supply from production hubs to consumption areas. “This is indeed a measure we have prepared alongside local government. Once supply from the production centres becomes available, we immediately push it into NTB so supply increases and prices can stabilise more quickly,” Rinna said in a statement on Monday, 2 March 2026.
In the initial phase, 1.18 tonnes of red bird’s eye chilli were transported from Enrekang farmers to NTB at Rp 58,000 per kilogram. Distribution was carried out under a transport subsidy scheme via the government-funded Food Distribution Facilitation (FDP) programme.
“This is a measured intervention so that increased supply is immediately felt and helps curb price pressure in the market,” Rinna explained.
Beyond ensuring supply chain operations, Bapanas also intervened at the retail level by maintaining fair chilli prices for both sellers and consumers. The government also posted price information at distribution points so the public could reference benchmark prices.
“At the retail level, we release at around Rp 63,000 per kilogram, whilst at the consumer level we maintain prices in the range of Rp 68,000 to Rp 73,000 per kilogram to keep them affordable,” Rinna noted.
Bapanas’ Food Price Panel for the period 23 February to 1 March 2025 recorded that red bird’s eye chilli prices fell from Rp 77,645 per kilogram to Rp 70,953 per kilogram, a decrease of 8.62 per cent in one week.
This decline occurred alongside strengthened distribution and supply flows to markets across various regions.
Bapanas Head Andi Amran Sulaiman attributed the fall in red bird’s eye chilli prices to inter-ministerial and cross-institutional coordination. The Food Violation Task Force (Satgas Saber Pelanggaran Pangan) also contributed to field-level price controls.
“We ensure price and supply stability are continuously maintained. Market inspections will continue, and no business operators are permitted to manipulate food prices,” Amran said.