Food Security Seen as an Important Component of National Sovereignty

Jakarta — VIVA

The programme to create one million hectares of rice fields in Wanam, Papua, included in the National Strategic Project (PSN), should not be halted. If interrupted, Indonesia could again fall into dependence on imports that would undermine the nation’s self-reliance.

‘Moreover, in the context of a global crisis environment, food self-sufficiency is not a choice but a necessity. Food security is the nation’s political dignity, and that dignity can only be safeguarded by standing on its own two feet,’ said Herry Mendrofa, Executive Director of the Center for Indonesia Strategic Actions (CISA), on Thursday, 21 May 2026.

According to him, the programme is a government move aimed at realising national food security. Therefore, he said the programme must continue.

‘I think the step taken by President Prabowo in Papua, including the Wanam rice paddies, is a sovereignty strategy that must continue,’ he said.

For information, the Wanam PSN in South Papua has shown significant progress. Several main facilities have already been completed 100 percent. The presence of the project has brought new hope to local communities, particularly in promoting welfare and equitable development in the region.