The Added Value of Chili and the Role of Women Farmers in Polinggona Subdistrict, Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Chilli (Capsicum annum L.) is a strategic commodity that continuously affects inflation because it is a food ingredient that the people of Indonesia need in addition to the main food product. The main problems that exist are the characteristics of chili fruits which are easily damaged and the farmers have not been able to apply a good post-harvest system, so the yield losses are still very high due to limited knowledge. Women farmers are expected to have knowledge and skills in post-harvest handling of chilli, the processing of chillies into dry chillies is expected to increase value addition in order to increase the selling price of the product so that it can become a source of additional income and increase household income. This study aims to determine the added value of chilli and to determine the role of female farmers in the cultivation and processing of chilli. The method of this research is to analyze the added value of chili using the Hayami method value addition calculation, while learning how the role of women farmers in chili processing is analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. Sample selection in this study was done by stratified random sampling and random snowball sampling. This method is applied in the collection of secondary data and interviews with competent sources depending on the information needed by the researchers. The sample number in this study was 40 female farmers interviewed in Puudongi village, Polinggona district, Kolaka regency. Based on the results of the research that has been done, it shows that the added value of chilli is Rp 4,000/kg, which means that farmers' incomes increase by another Rp 4,000/kg. And female farmers play an important role in agricultural activities and chili processing. Women farmers engage in farming and chili processing activities which are light and require patience.