Red bird's eye chili prices in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, reached Rp140,000 per kilogram over the last two days, up from Rp90,000 to Rp100,000. The surge is due to the rainy season disrupting supply, while the government plans to coordinate with businesses to stabilize prices ahead of Lebaran.
On Friday (February 20, 2026), Perum Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani conducted a surprise inspection at Pasar Minggu to check stocks and prices of strategic food commodities, including rice, subsidized cooking oil MinyaKita, granulated sugar, shallots, garlic, chicken, beef, curly red chili, and red bird's eye chili.
During the inspection, Rizal found red bird's eye chili prices at Rp140,000 per kilogram for clean-picked quality without stems, up from the normal Rp90,000 to Rp100,000 before Ramadan. "So we will coordinate with chili entrepreneurs and associations to lower the prices, hopefully back to standard ahead of Lebaran," Rizal said when confirmed in Jakarta on Sunday (February 22, 2026).
Rizal assessed the price increase as reasonable due to continuous rain over the past week, disrupting supply and challenging distributors. Curly red chili rose from Rp50,000 to Rp60,000 per kilogram, while red bird's eye chili increased by about Rp20,000. Trader Sarjono stated the surge began at the start of fasting, triggered by farmers reluctant to harvest due to weather damage risks, despite steady market demand.
Nationally, the National Food Agency recorded an average red bird's eye chili price of Rp88,462 per kilogram on the fourth day of fasting, up Rp8,591 from the previous day. This difference highlights local versus national price variations due to regional weather factors.
