The price of regular red chilies experienced the sharpest decline among other basic necessities during the first quarter of 2017. According to data from the Ministry of Trade, the national average price for regular red chilies fell by 22.9 percent to Rp 28,680 per kilogram (kg) from the beginning of January 2017.
This was followed by curly red chilies, whose price dropped by 18.47 percent to Rp 33,690 per kg throughout the first three months of 2017. Similarly, the price of broiler chicken also decreased by 11.52 percent to Rp 29,340 per kg. Meanwhile, the price of beef in Q1 2017 actually increased by 0.1 percent to Rp 114,770 per kg, and local soybeans also rose by 1.48 percent to Rp 10,960 per kg.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released data showing that in March 2017, there was a deflation of 0.02 percent. The decrease in the price index of the food commodity group by 0.66 percent was the trigger for this deflation. As a result, the inflation rate from January to March 2017 was 1.19 percent, while the March 2017 inflation rate compared to March 2016 (YoY) was 3.61 percent.