Encouraging chilli farmers to supply their produce to the chilli processing industry can help stabilize the price of the commodity, deputy chairman of Commission IV of the House of Representatives (DPR) has said.
Commission IV will bring farmers, the industry, and even the regional government together in order to create awareness on the issue and help fulfill the industry’s demand for chilli, Anggia Erma Rini said.
Given the huge capacity of the chilli processing industry in Kediri District, East Java, chilli prices can stabilize if farmers supply their produce to the industry, she added.
Collaboration between chilli farmers and the industry is required and will be beneficial in terms of absorbing the availability of chilli in Indonesia, she said.
This is because, with the help of the industry, chilli can be processed into products of high value, such as chilli sauce, she elaborated.
Therefore, chilli farmers should be encouraged so that they increase their production capacity for the industry, Rini remarked.
In addition, all supporting infrastructures for chilli farmers must be fixed, she said.
Moreover, communication with the Ministry of Trade regarding the issue of chilli prices should also be boosted, she noted.
“Communication with the Ministry of Trade is unavoidable if we are talking about prices,” she said.
Referring to national chilli stocks, Rini said that Indonesia no longer needs to import chilli from abroad.
Domestic chilli production is very high, in addition to the products that come from the industry that processes chilli into sauce, she added.
Source: Antara News