Development of the Food Estate in South Papua Seen as Important for Long-Term Food Sovereignty

Jakarta, VIVA - The National Strategic Projects (PSN) for developing a food estate area, consisting of new paddies covering one million hectares in Wanam, Merauke Regency, South Papua Province, is described as highly important, especially in the long term.

Deputy Chair of DPR Commission IV from the Golkar faction, Panggah Susanto, said: ‘The new rice fields are important for long-term food resilience, to anticipate rising food needs, and to avoid food dependence on other countries,’ he said on Friday, 22 May 2026.

He explained that in the short term, the existing land can be optimised to achieve food sovereignty. ‘Additionally, to achieve food resilience in the short and medium term concurrently, we can optimise the existing land as well,’ he said.

Earlier reports noted that the construction of a food estate in Wanam, Merauke, South Papua, is regarded as very important for realising national food security.

A researcher from Indikator Politik Indonesia, Bawono Kumoro, asserted that the Wanam food security project is a long-term strategic programme aligned with President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programs. ‘Of course it must continue. Do not let it be halted when there are efforts from certain quarters trying to derail this program,’ Bawono said on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.