DPD RI Award 2026: North Maluku Senator Supports 'New Transmigration 5.0' Innovation
The Senator for North Maluku, Hasby Yusuf, S.E., has expressed his appreciation for the nomination of Dr Rachma Fitriati, M.Si., M.Si. (Han), a lecturer from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at the University of Indonesia (FIA UI), for the DPD RI Award 2026 representing North Maluku Province.
Rachma has been nominated due to her strategic innovation, the ‘New Transmigration 5.0’ area. This innovation is recognised for providing a tangible contribution to regional development, particularly in strengthening food security, community empowerment, and the development of the local economy in North Malulku.
“As the Senator for North Maluku, I am very proud. Dr Rachma has brought our region’s name to the national stage. This is proof that real contributions to North Maluku can come from anyone, including academics from Jakarta. The most important thing is the result for the community,” said Hasby at the DPD RI Building, Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (11/9).
In the fisheries sector, Hasby highlighted the challenges faced by fishermen in Morotai who are trapped in monopsony market structures. Currently, fishermen’s catches tend to be centralised under a single processing company, which weakens the fishermen’s bargaining position.
Rachma emphasised that the success of tuna downstreaming in Morotai must be measured by the extent to which economic added value is enjoyed by the fishermen. Through the revitalisation of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative (KDMP), she is encouraging the development of the Merah Putih Fishing Village in East Sangowo and Galo-galo villages to break the dependence on middlemen.
The programme includes strengthening the cold chain and processing tuna into value-added products such as floss, meatballs, and frozen fillets. The KDMP is intended to act as an aggregator of catches as well as a microfinance institution for fishermen.
“The cold chain crisis breaks the downstreaming link at the upstream level. The Merah Putih Fishing Village is here to break this vicious cycle,” Rachma asserted. She also encouraged the formation of a Regional Fisheries Company (Perusda) in Morotai to act as a market balancer and manager of infrastructure based on renewable energy.
Additionally, Rachma highlighted the issue of illegal fishing in the Bere-bere and Gua Hira waters, where 30 GT vessels were reported to be operating in the 0–4 mile zone, violating Ministerial Regulation of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Number 18 of 2021.
In the agricultural sector, Rachma proposed the ‘Trans Lokal New Transmigrasi’ programme to address issues in Tiley Kusu Village. This area frequently faces the risk of crop failure due to river overflows and limited human resources for land management.
The programme aims to revitalise fallow land and strengthen rice self-sufficiency in Morotai. The Head of Tiley Kusu Village, Sugiatno, confirmed that this idea is urgently needed to increase local human resource capacity.
Hasby also cited Rachma’s concerns regarding basic infrastructure in Aha Village, where farmers still use inadequate bridges to transport harvests. “A proper bridge is an investment in national food security, not a luxury,” said Hasby, echoing Rachma’s statement.
One of the strategic achievements of Rachma, alongside the UI Patriot Expedition Team (TEP UI), is the initiation of the construction of a BULOG warehouse in Morotai. This step aligns with Presidential Regulation Number 14 of 2026 regarding the Acceleration of Post-Harvest Infrastructure Provision.
In addition to Morotai, BULOG warehouses are also planned to be built in South Halmahera, East Halmahera, and Central Halmahera. TEP UI is also pushing for copra downstreaming through Perusda Agro to process coconut waste into export products such as VCO and briquettes.
Concluding his statement, Hasby urged an upgrade to the status of the BULOG office in North Maluku. Currently, the Ternate Branch Office is still a Type C office with limited personnel, despite having to serve 10 regencies/cities across 975 islands amidst significant geographical challenges.
“We are encouraging the President Director of BULOG to immediately designate North Maluku as a Division Office, independent from the Ambon Regional Office. This is the foundation for food sovereignty in the archipelago region that serves as the eastern frontier of Indonesia,” he concluded.