PORTALJABAR, DISTRICT. GARUT - Garut Regency is one of the locations for the Simultaneous Chili Harvest as a follow-up to the High Level Meeting (HLM) of the Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID) which was attended by the Acting Governors of DKI Jakarta, Banten, West Java and Central Java on November 29 2023 .

This event was attended online by the Provincial Governments of DKI Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java and several other provinces who were invited guests at this event.

The simultaneous chili harvest in West Java Province itself was centered at the Eptilu Education Garden, Garut Regency, Wednesday (20/12/2023).

The chili harvest was followed online by 6 other regions such as Cianjur, Ciamis, Majalengka, Bandung, Kuningan and Sukabumi Regencies.

This activity was attended directly by the Expert Staff of the Governor of West Java for Development Economics (Ekbang) Dodo Suhendar, Head of the Economic Bureau of the Regional Secretariat (Setda) of West Java Province Yuke Mauliani Septina, Deputy Regent (Wabup) of Garut Helmi Budiman, elements of the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda ) Garut Regency, and other invited guests.

Garut Deputy Regent Helmi Budiman said that if this activity was held in the context of controlling inflation, Helmi further said that one of the causes of inflation was chili. The price of chili itself, currently on the market is around IDR 60,000.

He revealed that Garut Regency is one of the largest chili producers in West Java, so he hopes that the chili harvest in Garut Regency can meet the national chili needs and contribute to handling inflation in West Java in particular, and in Indonesia in general.

"Yes, hopefully (with this simultaneous harvest event) it will reduce the price of chilies but also not harm farmers, yes, we want our farmers to also remain profitable, which means controlling inflation, so that people can afford not only chilies but also other staple food items ( it can) be cheap," he said.

Expert Staff to the Governor of West Java for Economic and Development, Dodo Suhendar, said the same thing as the Deputy Regent of Garut. He said that chilies were one of the components contributing to inflation.

Based on reports from various regions in West Java which harvest simultaneously, continued Dodo, the price of chilies for farmers ranges from IDR 40,000 to IDR 70,000 depending on the type of chili being sold.

As for the purpose of this simultaneous harvest, Dodo revealed that the West Java Provincial Government, in this case Acting. The Governor of West Java, Bey Machmudin, wants to see that commodities that contribute to inflation, especially chilies in West Java, can be controlled and their prices fall.

"Therefore, in this harvest season, it is necessary to inform the public that don't worry, the chilies have now started to be harvested, so there is no need to worry about shopping because there is not enough chilies, now the chilies have started to be harvested," he said.

Dodo explained that in today's simultaneous harvest which was carried out in 7 districts in West Java Province, the average area of land harvested was 2-4 hectares. However, continued Dodo, the potential harvest in December could reach 2000 hectares, and is spread across various regions in West Java.

"So if the total is more than 2000 hectares, yes that will be harvested, so imagine that means it's ready, but of course as a place for chili production, it's not only for the people of West Java, but also some who go to DKI, some go to other areas. Well "Therefore, don't let us as chili producers end up with expensive prices compared to other places," he said.

After carrying out the chili harvest at the Eptilu Education Garden, the activity continued with visiting the Cheap Food Market (GPM) which is still located in the Eptilu Education Garden area, and also a visit to the Cisurupan Market, Garut Regency. (Diskominfo Garut/UPI)