West Nusa Tenggara's Economic Momentum and Ramadan Outreach: From the Lantern Festival to Food Supply Stability
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government has officially launched the “Gelegar Lentera Ramadhan 2026” programme, with a concept of touring various regencies and cities. The Governor of West Nusa Tenggara, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, inaugurated the inaugural event at the Tioq Tata Tunaq Alun-Alun Park, North Lombok, on Wednesday (25 February), as a step to expand the economic impact and religious outreach throughout the region.
Unlike previous years, where the events were centred at the Hubbul Wathan Islamic Centre, this year’s implementation emphasises more equitable economic empowerment. The Governor explained that distributing the events to various regions aims to ensure that local MSME actors in each regency and city can directly experience the economic activity during the holy month.
This series of events is scheduled to take place in stages, starting from North Lombok (25 February – 1 March), continuing to the City of Bima (2–3 March), then to Central Lombok (4–8 March), and culminating with a closing ceremony back at the Hubbul Wathan Islamic Centre in Mataram. This strategy is expected to create a balance between strengthening spiritual values and improving the welfare of the community.
The Head of the West Nusa Tenggara Tourism and Creative Economy Office, Ahmad Nur Aulia, added that this programme is a cross-sectoral collaboration with the BUMD Bank NTB Syariah. In addition to featuring an MSME festival, the event will also be enlivened by performances from national artists such as Opick and religious lectures from Ustaz Faris BQ, providing educational religious entertainment for residents.
In line with the festive atmosphere, the Mataram City Trade Office is taking swift action to coordinate across agencies to anticipate the availability of meat during Ramadan until Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijri. This step is taken to ensure that stocks of fresh beef and chicken remain available in the markets so that price stability can be maintained for consumers.
The Head of the Basic and Essential Goods Division of the Mataram City Trade Office, Sri Wahyunida, revealed that the price of beef in the main market is currently reaching Rp140,000 per kilogram, while in retail markets it is touching Rp150,000 per kilogram. A similar increase has also occurred in the price of broiler chicken, which is now sold at around Rp42,000 to Rp44,000 per kilogram.