S.Kalimantan`s Tapin Grows Hottest Bird`s Eye Chili in Country

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tapin District in South Kalimantan is cultivating bird’s eye chili which is 17 times hotter compared to other chili peppers. Local government and residents claim it as the hottest in Indonesia.

Speaking in a tree planting event in Bekantan Ecotourism area on Tuesday, Tapin Regent Arifin Arpan said that the hot, bird’s eye chili can only grow in Hiyung Villange, Central Tapin Sub-district, which lead people to call it “Cabai Hiyung” (Hiyung Bird’s Eye Chili).

“When the bird’s eye chili was grown in other area, it was not too hot, it was not hot, even, it tastes funky,” he said.

When grown in Hiyung Village, its heat scale increases multiple times. Hiyung bird’s eye chili is now Tapin District’s mainstay commodity. It has also turned into one of the most sought-after commodity by traders inside and outside of the region.

Hiyung bird’s eye chili farmers are now reaping what they have sown thanks to skyrocketing chili price which can reach up to Rp110,000 (USD7.52) per kilogram, or a three hundred percent increase.

A research shows that Hiyung bird’s eye chili contains 94,500 ppm of heat or equal to 17 times of regular chili.

Hiyung bird’s eye chili was first grown by now 40-year-old Subarjo back in 1993, after he carried the 200 seeds from the mountain.

“We initially brought 200 seeds. Due to lack of experience, however, we only succeeded [to grow] 100 trees,” Subarjo said during Hiyung bird’s eye chili harvest recently.

According to Subarjo, apart from its heat scale, Hiyung bird’s eye chili can be stored as long as 10 days at room temperature.

“At first, the price of the chili was Rp1,500 per liter. It has now jumped multiple times, even reaching Rp150,000,” Subagio added.

Hiyung bird’s eye chili has helped improve Hiyung residents’ economy. Those who used to work as lumberjack have now turned into chili farmers.

Some 85 percent of 420 head-of-household living in Hiyung Village work as chili farmers.

Tapin district administration has developed 200 out of 3,000 hectares of land in the area for Hiyung bird’s eye chili cultivation.

ANTARA