NTB Government Mandates 41,000 New Students to Plant Chillies to Curb Inflation

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Government will issue a decree mandating that all new students in senior high schools (SMA), vocational schools (SMK), and special needs schools (SLB) plant chilli peppers. Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal announced the policy, named ‘TAPSI’ (Planting Chillies for Inflation Control), during an orientation event at SMKN 5 Mataram on Wednesday (15/7/2026), stating it applies to around 41,000 new students.

Governor Iqbal explained that the initiative is a direct response to economic conditions in the region, where surging chilli prices have frequently been the primary cause of inflation. The provincial government has often been forced to import chilli supplies from outside the region, incurring high logistical costs, to stabilise market prices. Under the TAPSI programme, each new student is required to plant one chilli plant. The harvest, targeted to produce approximately 20 tonnes of chillies, will serve as a government reserve stock for market intervention when prices spike.

Iqbal emphasised that the programme is also integrated as a character-building learning tool, teaching students about economic resilience and environmental stewardship through the process of sowing, caring for, harvesting, and marketing the produce. He noted that last year, the province had to intervene by supplying 6 tonnes of chilli to traditional markets, a volume that still fell short of public demand.

In a separate but related policy, the Governor announced a relaxation of regulations regarding the use of School Operational Assistance Funds (BOSP). Effective September 2026, schools will be permitted to use BOSP allocations to provide additional income for part-time Government Employees with Work Agreements (PPPK). This supplementary income is intended to support teachers, with the relaxation policy approved by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.