Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karvanian has invited the public to plant their own chillies in anticipation of rising commodity prices during the Ramadan period, the fasting month for Muslim communities.
“Plants that are easy to plant are also easy to harvest, quick to harvest,” Tito said in a press statement on Monday, Feb. 17, as quoted by Indonesian media Kompas.
However, there are a large number of regions that are highly dependent on other areas for agricultural supplies.
Price hike
According to Tito, data from the BPS-Statistics Indonesia (BPS) shows several commodities in several regions experienced a price hike in the second week of February 2025.
These commodities include red chillies, which increased in price in 196 regions.
Meanwhile, the price of cooking oil saw an increase in 166 regions, and granulated sugar in 148 regions.
“The commodities we need to be vigilant about are red chillies, cooking oil, granulated sugar, bird’s eye chilli, and garlic,” Tito said.
The Minister of Home Affairs also raised the issue of garlic prices and encouraged the Ministry of Trade to find a solution so there would be no shortage ahead of Ramadan.
Top image via Canva and titokarnavian/Instagram