Consumer Group Urges Govt to Probe into Chili Pepper Price Hike

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian people are getting more concerned about skyrocketing prices of chili pepper to over Rp150,000 per kilogram. “It’s an irrational phenomenon,” the Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI) director Tulus Abadi said in a written statement received by Tempo on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. “It’s not just about weather-related problems or harvest failure.”

Tulus suspects that chili pepper price hike is caused by those wanting to distort the market, particularly in the distribution channel. “Either by stockpiling or cartels comprising large sellers, distributors,” he said.

The YLKI therefore expects the government not to give up and blame the weather-related factors. According to Tulus, the government and the Commission for the Supervision of Business Competition (KPPU) should investigate into whether there has been a criminal conduct. “The government should never let the phenomenon [to happen] without making meaningful efforts while letting it happen,” he noted.

Earlier, Agriculture Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said that increase in chili peppers prices occurred as Indonesia enters monsoon period. As a result, regions had been hit by flood, stopping farmers from harvesting chili peppers for fear of rotting crops.

To cover for the loss due to rotten crops, farmers will seek to gain more from fresh chili peppers, Enggartiasto said. “That’s the logic,” he said on Monday.

INGE KLARA SAFITRI | DESTRIANITA