President Prabowo Inspects Food Estate Infrastructure in Wanam Village, Merauke Regency

President Prabowo Subianto accompanied by Minister for Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman visits Wanam village, Merauke regency, South Papua province, to directly inspect the development of sustainable agriculture programs, Sunday (11/03/2024). (Photo by: Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of Presidential Secretariat/Rusman)

President Prabowo Subianto visited Wanam village, Merauke regency, South Papua Province, on Sunday (11/03) to directly inspect the development of sustainable agriculture programs. During this visit, President Prabowo saw the preparation of a rice demonstration plot to increase food productivity in eastern Indonesia.

Upon arrival at the location, President Prabowo immediately headed to the demonstration plot to witness farmers carefully preparing the land for the next planting season. This demonstration plot is intended to showcase the implementation of the latest agricultural techniques that can help local farmers increase rice yields and quality.

Furthermore, the President also witnessed firsthand the land processing and dolomite spread on the soil by the farmers. Dolomite is a natural material used to neutralize soil acidity, improve soil structure, and increase nutrients, which is necessary to increase soil fertility.

Head of the Ministry’s Food Security Task Force, Major General of Indonesian National Defense Forces Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, explained that the rice field printing program in Wanam and nearby areas is part of a large-scale agricultural land development plan in Merauke regency. According to him, there are around 100,000 hectares of agricultural land that will be printed, starting from Wanam village to Muting district, with a total target of 1 million hectares.

“The rice field printing program in Merauke extends from Wanam to Muting, covering an area of 1 million hectares. Additionally, 100,000 hectares of land will be developed in surrounding regions,” he said.

“The rice field printing is started in Merauke regency, precisely in Wanam village. In the area of Merauke regency, 100,000 hectares of land is planned to be developed. Starting from Wanam village to Muting district, the program will cover an area of 1 million hectares,” he said.

To support the program, the Government plans to construct infrastructures, including docks in Wanam village and a 135-kilometer roadway connecting Wanam village to Muting district. The infrastructure will facilitate access for farmers to transport agricultural equipment and harvests.

For the record, Merauke features flat swamp terrain, which provides a large amount of water essentially needed by farmers. In addition, with a 15-30 cm nutrient-rich layer of black soil, it will contribute to the food self-sufficiency program in Merauke regency.

“In our opinion, this supports our aim to achieve food self-sufficiency in Merauke regency,” Ahmad stated. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of Presidential Secretariat/ABD)(AW/MUR)