The price of white pepper in Pangkalpinang is continue soaring from 75,000 rupiah or around US$7.77 to 77,000 rupiah or US$7.98 per kilo.
"In a week, the price of white pepper is keep on soaring from 75,000 rupiah to 77,000 rupiah," said a white pepper collector, Ellan in Pangkalpinang on Tuesday.
Ellan explained that this price hike do not affect the transactions.
"Farmers think the price is still low and have not been able to cover the production cost of planting the white pepper," he said.
These days, Ellan said, farmers can only collect 50 to 60 kilograms in a week.
"Compared to when the price is 90,000 rupiah or 9.33, the harvest is too low, at that time we can collect upto 500 kilograms," he said.
Bangka white pepper or widely known as Muntok White Pepper is one of the luxurious spices.
It is hand picked on the island of Bangka, Indonesia.
