Minister Amran and 150 Papuan Students Launch 'Back to Farming' Movement

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, together with 150 Papuan students, has launched the ‘Back to Farming’ Movement. This initiative seeks to build the community’s economy from their own land by developing superior commodities based on local potential. The movement is expected to produce a young generation of Papuans capable of becoming drivers of agricultural development while creating jobs in their regions. The idea was conveyed by Minister Amran during a dialogue with the Indonesian Papuan Students Association at his residence in Jakarta on Thursday (2/7/2026). The warm meeting was attended by students from various regions, including Papua Pegunungan, Central Papua, West Papua, Southwest Papua, and Papua proper. During the dialogue, students presented a variety of potential regional commodities, ranging from sweet potatoes, sago, nutmeg, cocoa, and coffee to livestock. Responding to this, Minister Amran stressed that agricultural development in Papua must rely on the strength of local commodities and the utilisation of land owned by the community. “We must build the economy from the village. Students like you are the best sons and daughters of Papua. You can lift Papua’s economy because you have the knowledge, intelligence, and land that must be developed,” said Minister Amran. As a form of tangible commitment, Minister Amran immediately provided support to a Papuan student named Anton, who already owns seven hectares of agricultural land and mentors a farmer group in his hometown. Seeing this dedication, Minister Amran decided to add support for the development of an additional five hectares of land. “If you already have your own land and have started working, we must support you. I am adding another five hectares, the important thing is that it is worked well and can become an example for other young Papuans,” he said. According to Minister Amran, student involvement is a crucial strategy in creating new sources of economic growth in Papua. The government wants the young generation of Papua to not only be job seekers but also job creators through modern agriculture based on regional potential. He invited students who still have family land to start managing it while still pursuing their education. “I want to build a Papuan Young Farmers Movement. If you students have land in your villages, let’s start planting now. Once you graduate, your income could be higher than an employee’s,” said Minister Amran. He cited plantation commodities such as coffee and nutmeg, which have high economic value. According to him, by utilising family land as initial capital, students can build productive and sustainable agricultural businesses. “If a student has two hectares of land and plants coffee or nutmeg, by the time they finish their studies, the yield can already be a source of income. We must build the economy from the village, build the economy from our own land,” he stressed. Minister Amran also added support for the development of 100 hectares of coffee for a young farmer group in Papua Pegunungan that has already cleared 48 hectares of coffee land. In addition, the government is preparing agricultural tools such as crowbars, shovels, machetes, and other equipment to support the development of local food, especially sweet potatoes in Central Papua and Papua Pegunungan. “For Papua Pegunungan and Central Papua, we are preparing agricultural tool assistance according to needs because the main commodity is sweet potato. This is a special programme to strengthen local food development,” said Minister Amran. Ronaldo Jakub Inesta, a student from Southwest Papua, appreciated the Minister’s swift response to the students’ aspirations. He said this forum became an important space for Papuan students to directly convey their region’s potential to the government. “In my opinion, the Minister is a firm, humble, and very adept person. What we conveyed was immediately noted and followed up,” he said. He added that opportunities like this are very good because it is rare for students to be able to dialogue directly with a minister. “We can convey the potential of our respective regions so that the government knows firsthand the agricultural strengths of Papua.” The Chairman of the Committee for the Acceleration of Special Autonomy Development for Papua, Velix Wanggai, assessed that the ‘Back to Farming’ Movement is not just an economic movement but also an effort to revive the cultural identity of the Papuan people, who have a strong attachment to customary land and local commodities. “The ‘Back to Farming’ Movement is not only an economic movement but also a cultural one. We want to revive local commodities that are part of the noble culture of the Papuan people, while making customary land a source of prosperity for current and future generations,” said Velix. Velix added that each region of Papua has different commodity advantages, from sweet potatoes in the highlands and sago in the swampy areas to coffee, cocoa, nutmeg, and various other plantation commodities. Therefore, agricultural development based on local potential is the right strategy to create inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Minister Amran hopes the ‘Back to Farming’ Movement will be the starting point for the birth of a new generation of young Papuan farmers capable of developing their region’s potential, strengthening local food security, and improving community welfare while maintaining the cultural values and local wisdom of Papua. With this spirit, Papua is expected to grow as one of Indonesia’s future agricultural powerhouses.