Governor to Import Chilli from Outside NTB to Control Price Surge During Ramadan
The Governor of Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, plans to import chilli peppers from outside Bumi Gora to control price surges in the market during Ramadan 1447 Hijriah. He announced this during a snap inspection at Tanjung Central Market in North Lombok on Wednesday (25 February 2026).
Iqbal stated that chilli prices in several areas of NTB remain above the Government Reference Price (HAP) during Ramadan 1447 Hijriah. He committed to continuing to monitor chilli prices in NTB.
“Chilli here is still above HAP, but relatively stable at around 100,000 rupiahs, with some at 90,000 rupiahs. Meanwhile, in Mataram at several markets it has reached 200,000 rupiahs. This is what we want to investigate further,” said Iqbal at Tanjung Market on Wednesday (25 February 2026).
According to Iqbal, the price increase is influenced by weather factors and limited stock. As a result, there is an imbalance between demand and commodity availability in the market.
As an intervention measure, Iqbal said, the NTB Provincial Government is also holding cheap markets by providing a number of commodities from the State-Owned Logistics Company (Perum Bulog), such as rice, cooking oil, and sugar at standard prices. “We sell them at standard prices so that they can also influence the market,” he said.
Additionally, the local government is considering the option of importing chilli from outside NTB. This effort is expected to increase supply and reduce prices at the consumer level during Ramadan until Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah.
“This is one of the things we are promoting. Perhaps in the near future, we have not yet determined the quantity, but at the very least in accordance with demand approaching Eid so that we can influence prices,” Iqbal explained.
According to Iqbal, the NTB Provincial Government is still calculating the cost of supplying chilli from outside NTB by considering the cheapest distribution costs. “There are several options, which we are considering based on which has the lowest transport costs,” he said.
The Director of Food Consumption Diversification at the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Rinna Syawal, stated that chilli prices in several NTB regions are beginning to show a downward trend. Nationally, Rinna said, chilli prices are indeed still above the HAP set at 57,000 rupiahs per kilogram.
“This phenomenon is not only occurring in NTB, but also in several other regions in Indonesia. In other areas there are three regencies that according to our data are quite high—East Lombok, Central Lombok, West Lombok—but yesterday and today they have already dropped although still above the HAP for chilli,” explained Rinna.
According to Rinna, a short-term solution that can be implemented is to distribute chilli from surplus regions to deficit regions. Several regions, such as East Java, Central Java, and Sulawesi can serve as supply sources when the harvest season arrives. “When they harvest, we can help facilitate distribution to areas that need it,” Rinna explained.