Iqbal Confident NTB Will Enter Top 10 for National Poverty Reduction
NTB is beginning to emerge from the pressures of poverty. West Nusa Tenggara Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal confidently stated that his province has entered the top 10 provinces with the highest national poverty reduction rate over the past year.
Iqbal made this statement in the presence of Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf and Minister of Villages and Underdeveloped Regions (Mendes PDT) Yandri Susanto during the West Nusa Tenggara Development Planning Deliberation (Musrenbang) for 2026, on Thursday (16/4/2026).
Iqbal said that the achievement in reducing the poverty rate throughout 2025 in NTB reached 1.53 per cent compared to the 2024-2025 period. This achievement places NTB in the list of the top 10 provinces with the highest poverty reduction rate nationally over the past year.
“Alhamdulillah, we are among the 12 provinces with the highest poverty rates in Indonesia, but we have entered the top 10 provinces with the highest national poverty reduction,” Iqbal said while opening the 2026 Musrenbang in Mataram.
He emphasised that the trend of declining poverty rates in NTB over the past few years demonstrates a consistent and strengthening direction of development.
The former Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey explained that NTB’s poverty rate in 2014 was at 17.05 per cent. This figure continued to decline to 13.68 per cent in 2022.
In 2023, the poverty rate rose slightly to 13.85 per cent, then fell again to 12.91 per cent in 2024, reaching the lowest point in a decade in 2025 at 11.38 per cent.
The sharpest decline occurred in the 2024 to 2025 period, amounting to 1.53 percentage points. This figure is the largest compared to previous periods, also indicating an acceleration in improving the economic conditions of the population.
“One of the key factors behind this decline is the strengthening of the agricultural sector, reflected in the increase in the Farmers’ Exchange Rate (NTP). This means that the food security programme is a straight path that leads us out of poverty. And it has been proven by the data,” he said.
Data shows that NTB’s NTP experienced a significant surge in recent years. From 95.40 in 2010, which was below the welfare threshold, the figure rose to 122.81 in 2023 and further increased to 134.14 in 2025.
The NTP increase of 10.83 points in the 2024 to 2025 period is seen as aligning with the most significant poverty reduction in the same period.
Nevertheless, Iqbal acknowledged that pockets of poverty are still dominated by areas with large populations in NTB, such as East Lombok and Central Lombok.
“East Lombok, of course, because it has the largest population, has the most extreme poverty. Number two is Central Lombok, because it also has a large population,” he revealed.
Looking ahead, the NTB Provincial Government targets the elimination of extreme poverty by 2029 to zero per cent, while also pressing the poverty rate down to single digits.
“We want to ensure that by 2029 there are no more extreme poor villages, zero extreme poverty villages, and poverty drops from two digits to one digit,” he said.
Social Minister Reminds on Anti-Corruption and Data Validation
Indonesia’s Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf appreciated the NTB Provincial Government’s efforts in reducing the poverty rate. He stressed the importance of clean governance and compliance with regulations in managing the state and regional budgets.
“Let us not engage in collective corruption for the good of the Governor. So that the community can successfully implement the President’s and Governor’s programmes,” said Gus Saifullah.
He stated that poverty alleviation is enshrined in Article 34 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution. The state is obliged to care for the poor and neglected children through social protection, social rehabilitation, and social empowerment.
“So the state must provide social protection, social rehabilitation, and social empowerment,” he said.
Saifullah reminded that poverty reduction programmes in the regions must be more targeted and based on accurate data. For this reason, periodic updates to poverty data are needed.
“I am proud that the Governor has a empowered village programme. Therefore, in 2025, we will have strong data by improving the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) with an electronic database system. This will serve as a guide for poverty handling,” he emphasised.