Hargo.co.id, GORONTALO – Ahead of Christmas and New Year, the availability of basic food supplies by the end of the year is dwindling.
Consequently, the prices of several basic commodities, including bird’s eye chili, are sharply rising.
In Gorontalo, the surge in chili prices has reached IDR 120,000 per kilogram, which was previously in the range of IDR 30,000 to IDR 40,000.
One of the vendors at the Gorontalo Central Market attributed this to the insufficient supply of bird’s eye chili due to high demand from other regions.
“This is caused by two factors, firstly, the limited stock, and secondly, the demand from outside the region,” said Eyas Susilo, a kitchen supplies merchant at the Central Market.
Muhamad Iqbal Taha, another vendor, mentioned that the increase in chili prices has been happening for a month now, even reaching IDR 150,000 per kilogram.
“The price started rising a month ago, and currently there is a decrease, initially it was IDR 150,000 per kilogram,” said Muhamad Iqbal when met at the Kampung Bugis Market on Thursday (14/12/2023).
To cope with the scarcity of bird’s eye chili, he and other vendors are forced to source supplies from Central Sulawesi at a relatively lower price than the high prices in Gorontalo.
“For the supply, we get it from Central Sulawesi, as the supply of Gorontalo chilies is currently very limited, causing the prices to rise,” explained Iqbal.
For Iqbal and his colleagues, the skyrocketing chili prices certainly have an impact on their income as traditional market vendors.
“If the price rises like this, we, the vendors, are the ones who suffer because of the lack of buyers,” he concluded (*).
Author: Moh Rivaldy I Anuwingo/Intern Student at UNG
Editor: Ryan Lagili
