ITS Patriot Expedition Team Helps Oransbari Farmers Develop Premium Rice
Rice from Oransbari District, South Manokwari Regency, West Papua, is being positioned as a premium product through quality standardisation. The effort focuses on improving paddy-drying and rice-sorting processes, as well as packaging, to ensure more consistent quality and achieve a higher selling price.
The assistance is being provided by the 20th ITS Patriot Expedition Team (TEP) from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology in Surabaya, in partnership with farmers and managers of the Margomulyo Village-Owned Enterprise (BUMDes). The programme is expected to expand the market for Oransbari rice while establishing the identity of a flagship local product.
Margomulyo BUMDes director Ilham said the enterprise wanted to develop rice with a distinct Oransbari identity. He said the product was expected to become a leading commodity capable of competing in the market.
“As a young person, I want Oransbari to have its own rice product in the future: Oransbari Premium Rice,” Ilham said in a written statement on Monday (26 October 2026).
As part of the programme, farmers and BUMDes managers are receiving guidance on the stages of processing paddy into rice ready for sale, including operating milling machinery and sorting out whole rice grains before packaging.
Muhamad Iqbal Sidiq, a member of TEP ITS Team 20, said communities needed direct assistance so that proposed solutions matched the problems and needs on the ground.
“Sometimes we overlook the importance of working directly with communities and focus only on providing equipment. TEP ITS Team 20 is trying to bridge that gap by taking a practical approach to the real problems and needs of the community,” Iqbal said.
The assistance is expected to enable farmers to apply more consistent processing methods and produce higher-quality rice. Improving quality from drying through to sorting is an important step in preparing Oransbari rice to compete as a premium product.
Syukur Syarif, head of the West Papua Centre for the Application of Agricultural Modernisation (BRMP), stressed that quality improvements must go hand in hand with agricultural productivity.
“First comes productivity, and then quality,” Syukur said.
According to Syukur, higher productivity must be accompanied by better quality so that agricultural output gains added value and can compete. The involvement of farmer groups, BUMDes managers and rice businesses is also expected to help bring knowledge and processing technology into their day-to-day operations.
Efforts to improve the quality of Oransbari rice align with President Prabowo Subianto’s commitment to strengthening national food self-reliance. At a plenary Cabinet meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday (21 October), Prabowo underscored the importance of food self-sufficiency amid global uncertainty.
“Food is decisive. Food can now be used as a weapon. In a crisis, even if we have money, we may not be able to buy rice from other countries,” Prabowo said.
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) also stressed that infrastructure development must have a tangible impact on productivity and people’s welfare.
“Do not build infrastructure simply for the sake of building it. Build infrastructure that directly boosts productivity and improves people’s welfare,” AHY said.
Transmigration Minister M. Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara also highlighted the importance of developing leading products that can raise incomes in transmigration areas.
“Identify products with genuine development potential. Do not just look at what can be made, but also consider who will buy it and how it can increase people’s incomes,” Iftitah said.
Through the 2026 Patriot Expedition programme, the Ministry of Transmigration and universities are encouraging communities in transmigration areas to develop their local economic potential. In Oransbari, assistance with quality standardisation is an initial step towards establishing the Oransbari Premium Rice brand, adding value to the harvest and opening up wider market opportunities for farmers.