Zulhas: Acceleration of Food Production Centres Needs to be Socialised

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) has said that the acceleration of food and energy production centres in Merauke Regency, South Papua, needs to be socialised to all levels of society.

“The acceleration of food, energy and water production centres needs to be socialised to the TNI/Polri (military and police), customary leaders and the community, because the aim of building food production is certainly to bring prosperity to this region,” Zulhas said in a press release received in Jayapura on Wednesday.

According to Zulhas, his office has held a coordination meeting aimed at gathering aspirations and proposals from the community, local figures and the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (forkopimda) in South Papua, to be recorded and then conveyed to President Prabowo Subianto.

“We have also visited Wanam Village, Ilwayab District, Merauke Regency, to see for ourselves the progress of paddy field development and road works,” he said.

He explained that from the inspection, it was found that the acceleration of the food production centre area in Merauke is progressing quite rapidly.

“Port construction has also begun, a 58-kilometre road has been worked on, and airport construction has likewise been prepared,” he added.

He further stated that of the 10,000 hectares of paddy fields in Wanam, 1,200 hectares have already been planted with rice and are expected to be harvested in September or October 2026.

“If this goes well, Merauke will become a centre of economic growth and this region will certainly become increasingly advanced,” he said.