Retailer Taufiq Kreatin said the price of bird’s eye chili remained high at Rp 90,000 (US$6.72) per kilogram. While down from the Rp 110,000 per kg recorded in the past few days, the price is still three times the normal price of Rp 30,000 per kg.

“The price can fluctuate by the hour, depending on the supply. Current extreme weather conditions have caused harvest failure, thus, the supply is very limited,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

(Read also: Restaurants feel heat of chili price hike)

Due to the price surge, most chili sellers at the Kramat Jati market have to bear losses, because consumers have reduced their purchases.

“People who regularly buy 10 kg of bird’s eye chili now only buy 5 kg,” said another retailer, Almuklisin, who has been selling chili for eight years.

Meanwhile, wholesaler Srimuryani said she usually managed to sell up to 3 tons of bird’s eye chili a day, but now that the price had reached Rp 90,000 per kg, her daily sales had dropped to 2 tons.

“We can’t do anything besides increasing the price of the chili, although we know that that will be hard for customers to accept,” she said. (tas)

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