West Papua BPN Integrates Data on Agrarian Reform Land

Resolving land issues is an important factor in supporting development and economic growth for communities in West Papua.

Manokwari (ANTARA) – The West Papua Regional Office of the National Land Agency (BPN) is integrating data on potential agrarian reform land to agree on steps for arranging settlements located in forest areas and on local government assets.

The head of the West Papua BPN Regional Office, Keliopas Fenitiruma, said in Manokwari on Thursday that the data came from field identification conducted with regional government agencies and other relevant institutions.

“The West Papua Agrarian Reform Task Force’s (GTRA) data integration and final coordination meeting aims to reach a joint agreement before activities are carried out,” he said.

He explained that the field identification followed up on an agreement reached at an initial coordination meeting held in July 2026, which aimed to map indicative potential agrarian reform land in West Papua.

The discussions covered settlements or villages within forest areas, assets belonging to local governments and ministries or agencies, as well as the arrangement of land formerly held under a cultivation rights (HGU) concession by PT Coklat Ransiki.

“The former HGU land is an asset of South Manokwari Regency Government, and its arrangement requires an inventory of land tenure, ownership, use and utilisation (IP4T) before the asset can be legalised,” he added.

Keliopas said that policies and regulations for implementing agrarian reform must ensure consistency between maps, plans and statutory provisions so that they align with the programme’s objectives.

Coordination to address these issues will involve agrarian reform institutions from central to regency and municipal levels, with West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan serving as provincial GTRA chair.

“The West Papua GTRA team was established under Governor’s Decree No. 77 of 2026 as a forum for coordinating the implementation of agrarian reform,” he said.

Derek Ampner, acting assistant for Economic Affairs to the West Papua Regional Secretary, said accelerating agrarian reform was an effort to achieve justice in addressing inequalities in land tenure, use and utilisation.

Agrarian reform, he said, involves both asset and access arrangements. Asset arrangements are implemented by issuing proof of land ownership, while access arrangements provide infrastructure, markets, financing, assistance and other support.

“To follow up Presidential Regulation No. 62 of 2023, West Papua established the GTRA through a governor’s decree dated 8 April 2026,” he said.

He hoped the GTRA coordination meeting would receive serious attention from all stakeholders so that the identification of obstacles and root causes of land issues in West Papua could lead to their prompt resolution.

Stronger cooperation between local governments and ministries or agencies will help ensure spatial and regional planning strategies support development programmes aimed at improving community welfare.

“Resolving land issues is an important factor in supporting development and economic growth for communities in West Papua,” Derek said.