Aceh – Indonesia, The Aceh Tamiang Regency Government is strengthening its commitment to maintaining food price stability and curbing regional inflation. Concrete measures have been taken by encouraging farmers to cultivate fast-harvesting commodities such as chili peppers and shallots, whose prices are currently soaring in the market.
Located in Ie Bintah Village, Manyak Payed District, the Regent of Aceh Tamiang, Retired Inspector General of Police Drs. Armia Pahmi, MH, directly planted shallots alongside the Tepah Jaya farmer group on productive local agricultural land.
This strategic move is expected to bolster local food self-sufficiency while reducing reliance on supplies from outside the region.
In his directive, Regent Armia stated that regional inflation trends are heavily influenced by the availability of staple food supplies in the market. Shallots are one of the primary kitchen spices that frequently contribute to high inflation figures due to supply instability.
“It is hoped that once these shallots are harvested, they will be able to manage market prices wisely,” said Regent Armia.
The Aceh Tamiang Regency Government, through the Agriculture, Plantation, and Livestock Office, provides full support to farmer groups by facilitating superior shallot seeds. This program aims to transform local agricultural centers into sustainable shallot granaries.
By optimizing the use of agricultural land and house yards, Regent Armia remains optimistic that price stability can be maintained over the long term. He also invited all community elements, including the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimcam) and village officials, to actively promote the initiative of planting fast-harvest crops.
The land of over two hectares, planted with shallot seeds from Brebes, is estimated to yield a harvest of up to 50 tons, which is expected to effectively stabilize market prices.
During the planting activity, Regent Armia was accompanied by the Head of the Agriculture, Plantation, and Livestock Office, the Assistant for Economy and Development of Aceh Tamiang, and other officials. []