NTB Government Requires 41,000 New Students to Plant Chillies

The Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is requiring approximately 41,000 new students from senior high schools, vocational schools, and special needs schools to plant one chilli tree each as part of efforts to control food inflation in the region. “This is not just about planting chillies. The children learn to sow, care for, harvest, and even market the results,” said NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal in Mataram on Wednesday. Iqbal explained that the policy was born from the region’s experience when a spike in chilli prices became a major contributor to inflation, forcing the government to bring in supplies from outside the area at a high cost. In February 2025, the price of bird’s eye chillies in West Nusa Tenggara had reached Rp200,000 per kilogram and became a topic of national discussion. At that time, bird’s eye chilli production fell by 63.64 percent, causing stocks to deplete within just one month due to extreme rainfall influenced by the La Nina phenomenon. In March 2026, bird’s eye chillies were also expensive, hovering in the price range of Rp150,000 per kilogram, again due to bad weather and coinciding with Ramadan. A total of 1.18 tonnes of bird’s eye chillies had to be brought in from Enrekang Regency, South Sulawesi, to control the inflationary surge. Iqbal noted that the 41,000 new students are projected to be able to produce a reserve of more than 20 tonnes of chillies if all plants grow and are harvested. He expressed hope that the chilli harvest carried out by the new students could become one of the instruments for regional inflation control while strengthening family-based food security. The chilli planting programme conducted by school students is designed as a learning medium that integrates character education, environmental awareness, and entrepreneurship for the students. The movement serves as a model of synergy between the education and agriculture sectors in supporting regional inflation control through the active participation of students from an early age. “They learn to be responsible, care for the environment, while building life skills that will be useful for their future,” said Iqbal.