Accelerating Paddy Field Development, Government Ready to Achieve Food Self-Sufficiency in Papua
South Papua – The government is accelerating the Paddy Field Development program (Cetak Sawah Rakyat or CSR) in South Papua as a strategic step to realize national food self-sufficiency. With vast fertile land and abundant water resources, Merauke is considered the ideal center for developing Indonesia’s new food barn.
Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, emphasized that speeding up paddy field development in Papua is a monumental initiative to strengthen the nation’s food security. “We target this paddy field program to produce at least two to three harvests annually. The fertile natural potential and abundant water are expected to be utilized to accelerate the achievement of food self-sufficiency,” he said.
A concrete step was marked by the signing of the Survey Investigation Design (SID) contract between the South Papua’s Crop, Horticulture, and Plantation Office (TPHBun) and the South Papua Public Works Office. The targeted land area to be developed reaches 21,291 hectares, which is part of the total 41,291 hectares target set for 2025.
Head of the Agricultural Extension and Human Resources Development Agency (BPPSDMP), Idha Widi Arsanti, stressed that the program focuses on agricultural land extensification. “The paddy field development program aims to increase the cropping index and achieve food self-sufficiency. Through land expansion, the agricultural productivity potential in South Papua is increasingly promising,” she explained.
Director of the Agricultural Development Polytechnic (Polbangtan) Manokwari and also the Head of Food Self-Sufficiency for South Papua, O’eng Anwarudin, added that the commitment of various parties is key to the program’s success. “The SID CSR contract target signed today covers 21,291 hectares. Thus, the SID contract target for 2025 covering 41,291 hectares has been fully achieved,” he stated.
O’eng also explained that 10,000 hectares of land with existing SID contracts have already entered the supervision contract phase with Musamus University. “This supervision contract signals that the CSR program in South Papua is progressing. We hope the activities can be completed soon, or even earlier, so planting can begin by September,” he added.
With synergy between the central and regional governments, academia, and the community, the acceleration of paddy field development in South Papua is expected to realize the vision of making the region Indonesia’s new food barn. This initiative will also strengthen national food sovereignty and open new economic opportunities for the people of Papua.
