“We will organize a two-day ‘cheap’ market to provide cheap chilis for people in Makassar,” says official.

South Sulawesi’s agriculture and food office head Lutfi Halide was speaking about his strategy to counter the skyrocketing prices of chili peppers in the province.

But, he apparently realized that was a “mission impossible”. When asked when his plan would be put into effect, Lutfi said Wednesday, “In the very near future.”

People in many parts of the country are suffering from headaches because of severe supply shortages for chilies, which are an important ingredient in Indonesian cooking. Chili prices have been skyrocketing since the middle of December, with price hikes blamed on the prolonged rainy season in many parts of the country and the eruptions of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta.

Wawan, a vegetable vendor in a housing complex in Buaran, East Jakarta, recently sold seven chilies for Rp 3,000 (33 US cents). The cost of such flavor is Rp 86,000 per kilogram in Jakarta. Wawan only smiled when his regular buyers accused him of profiting from other’s suffering.

“My customers know the problem. They just use me as a target for their frustration,” the vendor said.

Some food stall owners contacted by The Jakarta Post said the price increases had cut their daily profits by 30 percent “We can’t just increase the price of our food because we’re afraid of losing customers,” Randi Putra, owner of Cii Uniang Padang Restaurants in West Jakarta, said.

Randi said there was no way he would reduce the portion of chili in his cooking, as Padang food is known for its chili-heavy foods and he would not compromise on flavor.

Another food vendor was also having the same problem. “I can only reduce the chili by up to 50 percent, and earn 30 percent less than usual,” said the man, whose said his usual income was about Rp 1 million a day.

Farmers in Yogyakarta can only dream of huge profits. In Srigading village in Bantul, 100 hectares of chili plants were destroyed by Merapi’s eruptions. “I really feel stressed now,” farmer Agus Triyanto said.

In Malang, East Java, farmers decided to break their contract with their cooperative Mitra Arjuna because they were lured by the much higher profits offered by big traders.

“They should stick with their contract. We provide all the seeds and fertilizer for them,” cooperative manager Luki Budiarto said.

In Banyumas, Central Java, food traders tried their best to provide the usual menu at the same price.

“We feel sorry for our customers because we cannot provide sambal [chili paste] for them,” Sumini said.

In Medan, prices decreased after New Year. In Padang’s Bulan Market, Suranta Tarigan was offering chilies at Rp 60,000 per kilogram. “But, the price is still too high. And, we must also face losing our customers,” Suranta said.

­ — Andi Hajramurni from Makassar, Slamet Susanto from Yogyakarta, Wahyoe Boediwar-dhana from Malang, Agus Maryono from Banyumas and Apriadi Gunawan from Medan also contributed to this article.

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