JAYAPURA - Papua Governor Muhammad Ridwan Rumasukun encouraged all State Civil Apparatus (ASN) in his region to actively contribute to reduce the inflation rate contributed by chili commodities.

"That's why today we distributed chili seeds so that the entire ASN planted at least 5 chili plants in his house". 

"Now if we have around 12,000 employees and then at times 5 seeds, there will be no shortage of chilies later," explained Ridwan after distributing hundreds of chili seeds symbolically to the State Civil Apparatus of Papua Provincial Government, after the briefing at the Papua Provincial Autonomous Office, Monday (13/2/2023).

The Governor said that planting chili in the yard of the house, apart from being an effort to suppress inflation in the region, also gives physical and spiritual satisfaction. Physically, it is a provider of healthy family nutrition, but in spirit it could strengthen the faith by being grateful for the beautiful vegetation created by God.

Therefore, he hopes that the 300 chili seeds distributed to the ASN, will be able to provide double benefits for those who plant and also for the local government.

"We from the province have also previously supplied 1.3 tons of chili from Waropen Regency to Jayapura City to reduce the price of chili which had increased to more than IDR 100 thousand," he added.

The head of the Papua Agriculture and Food Department, Semuel Siriwa, said that this activity was a follow-up to the central government's direction to suppress inflation in the regions.

"The governor took a policy to bring in 1.3 tons of chili from Waropen and the results immediately occurred because the price of chili decreased in both traditional and modern markets," Siriwa said.

Siriwa also hopes that he will prepare quite a lot of chili plants for ASN and the community. So that those who are interested, he said, can take it directly at the Horticultural Garden in front of the Dian Harapan Jayapura Hospital. ***