Han Revanda, Jakarta – Arief Prasetyo Adi, Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), has voiced his support for President Prabowo Subianto's suggestion that families plant at least five chili pepper plants at home to help stabilize prices. He affirmed that there was nothing amiss with the President's statement.
"There's nothing wrong with that; it's accurate. Chili peppers are common backyard plants. They can be planted in pots or polybags and can yield harvests up to 20 times," Arief said when met at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
Arief emphasized the ease with which chili peppers, and other horticultural products, can grow, even with minimal effort. He cited Bapanas' B2SA (Balanced Nutritional, Safe, and Diverse) and sustainable food programs, which heavily promote the use of backyard cultivation.
"'It exists. People should try it. They can pick fresh chilies every day. It's delicious,'" remarked the former President Director of PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI).
President Prabowo had previously advised the public to temporarily reduce their consumption of spicy food. "'Maybe the price of bird's eye chilies went up for a while, but now it's starting to decrease," Prabowo noted during a Plenary Cabinet Meeting concerning preparations for Eid al-Fitr on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Despite the fluctuating chili pepper prices, Prabowo assured that the overall food situation in Indonesia remains secure and under control. He considered Indonesia's food stability a significant achievement, particularly given its status as the world's fourth most populous nation.
According to Bapanas' monitoring, the price of red bird's eye chilies reached Rp68,961 per kilogram on Monday, April 28, 2025, marking an increase from the previous day's price of Rp68,630 per kilogram.
In contrast, the price of curly red chilies decreased to Rp55,163 per kilogram from Rp57,194 per kilogram the day before. Similarly, the price of large red chilies fell to Rp48,202 per kilogram, down from Rp49,855 per kilogram on the previous day.