Through the Tanam Cabai Movement, NTB invites new students to learn farming from an early age

A number of new students plant chili seedlings at SMKN 5 Mataram, Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara, Wednesday (15/7/2026). (ANTARA)

MATARAM - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Government requires around 41 thousand new students at the SMA, SMK, and SLB levels to plant one chili tree.

This policy is part of the regional strategy to strengthen food security while helping to reduce the rate of inflation which is often triggered by the increase in chili commodity prices.

NTB Governor Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said the program was not only oriented towards increasing chili production, but also a means of learning for students. According to him, students will gain hands-on experience ranging from the sowing process to marketing the harvest.

"This is not just planting chili. Children learn to sow, care for, harvest, and market the results," said NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal in Mataram, Wednesday.

He explained that the policy was based on NTB's experience when the spike in chili prices became one of the main triggers of regional inflation. This condition forced the government to bring in supplies from outside the region at a cost that was not little in order to maintain price stability in the market.

In February 2025, the price of sweet peas in NTB had jumped to Rp. 200 thousand per kilogram and became a national spotlight. The price increase was triggered by a 63.64 percent drop in sweet pea production due to extreme rain caused by the La Nina phenomenon. The decline in production made the supply of chili in the area quickly depleted in about a month.

A similar situation occurred again in March 2026. The price of sweet peas was in the range of IDR 150 thousand per kilogram due to bad weather that coincided with increased demand during Ramadan.

To dampen the price turmoil, the government at that time had to bring in about 1.18 tons of sweet peas from Enrekang Regency, South Sulawesi.

Iqbal estimated that if all the seeds planted by around 41 thousand new students can grow well until harvest time, then there will be an additional reserve of chili of more than 20 tons.

The production is expected to be one of the instruments to maintain price stability while strengthening family-based food security.

In addition to supporting inflation control, the chili planting program is also designed as a learning medium that integrates character education, environmental awareness, and the development of entrepreneurship in students.

Through this movement, the NTB Provincial Government wants to build synergy between the education and agriculture sectors by involving students actively from an early age in efforts to maintain regional food security.

"They learn to be responsible, care about the environment, and build life skills that will be useful for their future," said Iqbal.