To ensure a continuous supply of chili peppers, while also fending off inflation, Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture plans to revive the culture of growing chilies in home gardens.
Prices of fresh chilies, popular in Indonesian cuisine, have doubled this year, as the longer than usual wet season causes the peppers to rot more quickly, disrupting their distribution across the country.
"Chili prices have to come down soon," Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said on Tuesday (22/11) at the launch of a nationwide movement to grow 50 million chili plants.
The ministry will provide 10 million free chili seedlings to households and communities that support the initiative, Amran said. He added that the plants will adorn house gardens.
In 2011, the government called on Indonesians to start cultivating chilies at home as the prices in several regions rose to Rp 100,000 ($7.50) per kilogram. Few answered and even fewer continued to tend their chili plants when the prices returned to normal a few months later.
In November, fresh red chilies fetched an average price of Rp 51,900 a kilogram, more than double compared to a year ago, according to data from the Ministry of Trade.
Prices of the commodity also contributed to October's annual inflation rate of 3.31 percent from September's 3.07 percent.
