Indonesia Ships 7 Tons of Chili to North Halmahera as Inter-Regional Distribution Expands
The Trade Ministry sent surplus chili from East Java to a region paying Rp150,000 per kilo, and says the same scheme will be replicated for eggs.
Indonesia's Trade Ministry shipped seven tons of chili from Probolinggo, East Java, to North Halmahera in North Maluku, where prices had reached Rp150,000 per kilogram. The 3 November announcement by Trade Minister Budi Santoso described the shipment as a joint operation with the National Food Agency, Bank Indonesia and local governments, marking the revival of the Food Distribution Facilitation (FDP) program ahead of the year-end holiday season.
The minister said the model would be replicated for other commodities, stating that surplus eggs would likewise be sent to deficit regions. National reference prices show red chili at Rp71,662 per kilogram against a reference ceiling of Rp57,000, while eggs stand at Rp26,400, below their Rp30,000 ceiling. Officials frame inter-regional logistics transfers, rather than price subsidies, as the main stabilization instrument heading into the holidays.