Visiting the Chili garden of Pak Mustafa, a retired servant of the State. Sunday 28/8/2021

I have a friend named Mustafa. Retirement from work as a state civil servant (ASN) does not make Mustafa stop trying for his life. The man who was previously a teacher has actually succeeded in farming chilies. The result even exceeds his income as a civil servant. here's the story.

Mustafa has been struggling with local chili plants for the past 4 years. He planted the commodity, which now costs exorbitantly, on an area of ​​about 1 hectare in Glumpang VII Village, Matangkuli District, North Aceh Regency, Aceh.

In one year, Mustafa claimed to be able to make a profit of up to Rp. 70 million with 2 harvests. He did it himself without the help of other farmers. The price of chili that is increasingly expensive makes his income increase. The current price of chili is around Rp. 50 thousand per kilogram.

“What we plant is only a quarter of a hectare, about five thousand stems. If you use your own energy, it's only Rp 3,000 per stem, the maintenance costs until the harvest period," said Mustafa, Sunday (29/8) when he visited his chili garden.

According to Mustafa, chili farming is like taking care of a baby. must be persistent and should not be left alone. When it is harvested, the traders who come take chilies to their homes. He sells for Rp. 40,000 per kilogram.

"Depending on the quality of the seeds, usually the price is normal before it goes up from Rp 20 thousand to Rp 30 thousand per kilogram," he said.

Mustafa said that the reason for the increase in chili prices in the market was the erratic weather. This causes several chili diseases, such as fungi, pests, and others to easily attack. The thing that chili farmers are afraid of is when it rains during the day because mushrooms will appear. Therefore, after the rain the chili plants must be sprayed.

"It's the weather to determine whether it's successful or not. Better dry season all the better. The impact is this kind of weather, a lot of mushrooms, a lot of patek too. That's why it's sprayed twice a day, it doesn't cover crop failures," he said.