More Spicy, Bungo Red Chili

BPS has released July inflation figures on Monday, August 1, 2022.

As a result, Bungo again experienced inflation, which was 1.05 percent. If viewed in more detail, it is known that red chili is the main cause of the commodity. The share of red chili inflation in July was 1.16 percent. In other words, Bungo's inflation rate in July was dominantly contributed by red chili. Meanwhile, other commodities contributed a small contribution to inflation and the rest contributed to deflation (a fall in prices) or even experienced no price changes. The price of red chili is now as good as it gets in Bungo market. It turned out that the increase in the price of red chili did not only occur in July. Red chili began to creep up at the end of May 2022. Previously the price per kilogram of red chili was around 25-35 thousand rupiah. However, since late May, the price has been slowly rising. At its peak, in mid-June to July, red chili had the highest price of 150 thousand rupiah per kilogram. Several factors contributed to the high price of red chili in this period. Lack of supply from the main producing areas such as Kerinci Regency and neighboring provinces of Bengkulu and West Sumatra is one of the causes.

As it is known that in the June-July period, many farmers in the area experienced crop failure, while the red chili farming products in Bungo Regency itself have not been able to meet the daily consumption needs of the Bungo community. As a result, the supply of red chili in the market is running low and triggers an increase in prices. Red chili is one of the main commodities that play an important role in calculating inflation in Bungo. The 2018 Cost of Living Survey (SBH) in Bungo Regency produced 275 commodities which were then monitored for price movements every month. Each of these commodities has a weight on inflation. Red chili is included in the top fifteen commodities with the greatest weight in Bungo's inflation calculation. This commodity is included in the foodstuffs group where its role in this group is second only to rice commodities. The weight of rice is 4.65 percent and the weight of red chili is 1.65 percent. This means, if there is a slight change in the price of the commodity, be it a price increase or a price decrease, it will greatly affect Bungo's inflation movement. The large role of the food ingredient group, including red chili, shows that Bungo is still classified as a city that is highly dependent on primary commodities. The role of the government as a party controlling prices is becoming more necessary at this time. The Bungo Regency Government has paid more attention to price increases, especially some basic needs such as red chilies, shallots, broiler meat, and so on. Several price control meetings with the Bungo Regency Regional Inflation Control Team have been held. Various stakeholders have reported the reasons for the price increase and followed the price control strategy in the market. The aim is not only to help ease the Bungo community's consumption burden, but also to protect local farmers from prospering in the midst of rising prices for their agricultural needs. However, this government effort needs to be further improved and of course it needs support from other stakeholders such as business actors. In addition, local governments can also establish cooperation between the main producing regions of basic commodities, such as red chili. The cooperation is intended to meet demand needs in the Bungo area. Of course, it is also supported by adequate infrastructure so that the distribution of these staples remains smooth. Unsmooth distribution can lead to price increases in the future. Not only the government, the community can also take a role in how to deal with the increase in red chili prices. Red chili is indeed a prima donna. The spicy taste of red chili has become a culture, it is even considered a must in certain cuisines of the Sumatran people, especially Bungo. In addition to its spicy taste, red chilies play a role in reddening the plate of rice we eat. This is what makes red chili so popular with the public and is included as a commodity that plays an important role in calculating inflation. Several years ago, the former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Rusman Heriawan once argued that the culture of the people who liked to consume fresh red chilies seemed to have begun to decrease. People can shift to dry red chili or other processed red chili products such as chili sauce, chili powder, and others. This effort is deemed necessary, even though we know that the culture of consuming fresh red chili is still very much embedded in the community. Another simple way to deal with the increase in the price of red chili is to start growing your own red chili in the yard of one or two pots. Maybe the results are not so significant, but at least it can reduce household consumption expenditures to buy red chilies, especially when the price is high.

This concept has previously been commonly carried out by several community groups on medicinal plant commodities, through the Family Medicinal Plants (Toga) program. There is no harm in trying other plants such as red chili and cayenne pepper. One or two red chilies from the yard itself will provide its own speciality when eaten. Thus, it is hoped that in the future the price of red chili will not taste as bad anymore. (Jambi/BPS 1509) data