Chicken Meat and Bird's Eye Chilli Drive Inflation in NTB for August 2026

The consumer price movement in Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) recorded an inflation rate of 0.57 per cent in August 2026. Rising prices for chicken meat and bird’s eye chilli were the primary drivers of this inflation. The resumption of MBG kitchen operations and the momentum of Maulid Nabi Muhammad SAW also acted as inflationary triggers.

“This inflation was driven by price increases in the food, beverage, and tobacco group, specifically in commodities such as broiler chicken, bird’s eye chilli, and mackerel tuna,” said the Head of BPS NTB, Wahyudin, following the release of inflation data at his office on Tuesday (1/9/2026).

“The increase in chicken meat prices was triggered by rising demand from SPPG alongside the start of school activities, followed by the Maulid period, which further boosted demand,” he added.

Wahyudin explained that the rise in bird’s eye chilli prices was caused by sub-optimal harvests due to extreme heat. Meanwhile, the price increases for scad and mackerel tuna were caused by weather conditions and strong winds.

BPS NTB noted that broiler chicken contributed 0.21 per cent to inflation, followed by bird’s eye chilli at 0.07 per cent, scad at 0.07 per cent, mackerel tuna at 0.06 per cent, and mobile phones at 0.03 per cent.

“The information and communication group also made a significant contribution to inflation, with rising prices for mobile phones and laptops. These price increases were triggered by the global component supply crisis, particularly for memory such as RAM and storage,” he explained.

Meanwhile, several commodities recorded deflation in August 2026. Commodities that experienced price decreases included tomatoes by 0.06 per cent, shallots by 0.03 per cent, garlic by 0.02 per cent, senior high school fees by 0.02 per cent, and petrol by 0.01 per cent.

“The drop in shallot prices was influenced by harvests entering the market, resulting in sufficient stock. Meanwhile, the decrease in senior high school costs was due to a reduction in committee fees,” said Wahyudin.

In terms of region, the highest inflation occurred in Mataram City at 0.69 per cent with a Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 113.03. This was followed by Sumbawa Regency at 0.53 per cent with a CPI of 112.45, while Bima City experienced inflation of 0.24 per cent with a CPI of 113.31.

“All CPI regions in NTB experienced monthly inflation, with the highest inflation occurring in Mataram City,” he stated.

Wahyudin explained that several commodities contributed to inflation across the NTB CPI regions. These commodities included chicken meat, mackerel tuna, bird’s eye chilli, scad, academies or universities, scad, household raw materials, mobile phones, and sea transport.