Agriculture Minister Affirms Commitment to Build Papua's Farming Based on Local Potential

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has affirmed his commitment to working with the people of Papua to develop the agricultural sector based on local potential by involving the younger generation as drivers of the economy, in accordance with the cultural characteristics, region, and needs of the local community. “I am from the mountains in South Sulawesi. I have many relatives in Papua. Why did I invite you to my private residence? Because you are meeting with your own elder brother, your own relative. I am your elder brother, the minister, and also a Papuan. Let us build Papua together,” Mentan said in Jakarta on Thursday. He made the statement while receiving and engaging in dialogue with 150 students from various regions of Tanah Papua at his private residence in Jakarta. Mentan invited the young generation of Papua to jointly build Tanah Papua through agricultural development based on local potential, culture, and the needs of the local community. During the meeting, the students from Central Papua, Highland Papua, Southwest Papua, South Papua, and Papua proper directly presented various leading regional potentials, ranging from sweet potatoes, red fruit, peanuts, sago, coffee, cocoa, and coconuts to livestock and fishery commodities. In the dialogue, a student from Central Papua, Edron Tabuni, conveyed that communities in the highlands require support for the development of local food commodities, particularly sweet potatoes, which have been a staple food for the community. According to him, agricultural development in Papua needs to be adapted to the characteristics of the region and the culture of the local community.