Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Urges Local Governments to Address Rising Prices of Red Chillies

Local governments may choose not to build or collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to plant chillies, provided that the prices of chillies do not rise,” stated Tomsi in a written statement on Monday (11/5/2026). He made these remarks at the launch of the Anti-Corruption Education Guide and Teaching Materials, held alongside the Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting at the Sasana Bhakti Praja Building (SBP) of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Jakarta. Tomsi noted that, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), there are regions that have not yet collaborated with Kementan to support the Prospective Farmers and Prospective Locations (CPCL) programme specifically for increasing red chilli production. There are also regions that have rejected the allocation of chilli areas for this programme. Nevertheless, he urged regions to control red chilli prices, as the price increases directly affect the public. On the other hand, at the same forum, Tomsi appreciated the abundant rice stock availability, amounting to 5.19 million tonnes, which is the highest achievement in history. Despite this, he still requested that Perum Bulog ensure optimal rice distribution access to regions, as there are still several areas experiencing rice price increases. “Please, Madam [Perum Bulog], identify the regions where prices are still high and contact the Bulog offices there to increase distribution,” Tomsi added. He reiterated that the Maximum Retail Price (HET) is the government’s standard for monitoring commodity price increases. Tomsi invited local governments to ensure that the prices of basic necessities remain stable and do not exceed the HET. Tomsi acknowledged that the challenges and dynamics in efforts to stabilise commodity prices in regions are not easy. However, reflecting on various conditions experienced in previous years, regions have proven capable of controlling prices. Therefore, he encouraged regions to learn from past experiences in addressing price increases, particularly during the rainy or dry seasons. “With weekly meetings and years of experiencing the same seasons—rainy, hot, high waves—we should already be able to address these habits. We should already be able to overcome our difficulties,” Tomsi emphasised. Also present at the meeting were the Director of Price Statistics at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Sarpono, the Director of Food Diversification and Consumption at the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Rinna Syawal, Deputy II of the Presidential Chief of Staff Popy Rufaidah, and other related parties.