West Nusa Tenggara DPRD pushes for non-mining economic growth acceleration

Lawmakers in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) are urging the acceleration of economic growth engines outside the mining sector. This call comes despite NTB's impressive economic growth of 7.41% in the second quarter of 2026, which outpaced the national growth of 5.29%. The regional economy grew by 10.42% cumulatively in the first half of the year. However, a closer look at the data reveals that the mining and quarrying sector was the primary driver, growing by 30.57% year-on-year and contributing 56.4% of NTB's overall economic expansion. Sambirang Ahmadi, head of Commission III for Finance and Banking at the NTB Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD), emphasized the need to strengthen non-mining sectors to prevent economic instability when the mining sector faces downturns. He highlighted that while agriculture remains the largest contributor to NTB's Gross Regional Domestic Product (PDRB) at 21.93%, its growth was only 2.54% in Q2 2026, significantly lagging behind mining. Other key non-mining sectors identified for development include agriculture, manufacturing, trade, tourism, SMEs, fisheries, livestock, and services. Ahmadi stressed that the significant contribution of the mining sector should be leveraged to stimulate local economies through job creation, local procurement, and support for local industries. He also called for clearer government roadmaps on local content and supply chains within the mining industry to benefit local businesses and workers, alongside strengthening downstream processing to add value to natural resources.

“

Meaning, mining is still the main engine of NTB's economic growth. This is our homework on how to strengthen and accelerate non-mining growth engines.