President Prabowo reviews food security measures in South Papua

Jayapura (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto, on Sunday, embarked on a trip to Merauke, South Papua Province, to inspect firsthand the implementation of agricultural activities and programs aimed at building food self-sufficiency.

According to a press release received from the South Papua government in Jayapura, Papua, the president landed at J. A. Dimara Air Base at 6:30 a.m. local time aboard a presidential aircraft.

South Papua Acting Governor Rudy Sufahriadi and commanders of local military bases welcomed the head of state upon his arrival.

In the company of Acting Governor Sufahriadi, President Prabowo boarded a helicopter to visit Telaga Sari Village in Kurik district, where he greeted local people and received a briefing on the measures taken to achieve food security from Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman.

On the occasion, the president also witnessed the planting and harvesting processes of rice. Moreover, he had the opportunity to ride on a combine harvester to participate in the harvest activity, according to the State Secretariat Ministry's statement.

The head of state then left for Wogikel Village in Wanam district, where he reviewed the preparations of demonstration plots and witnessed local farmers spreading dolomite to fertilize their agricultural soil.

In a separate statement, Head of the Agriculture Ministry's Food Security Task Force Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani noted that the government is planning to set up about 100 hectares of rice fields in Merauke and its surroundings in an effort to strengthen Indonesia's food security.

To that end, he said the government would build supporting infrastructure, such as ports and 135 kilometers of road connecting Wanam to Muting, in a bid to facilitate farmers in transporting agricultural equipment and harvests.

After wrapping up his activities in Telaga Sari and Wogike, President Prabowo returned to J. A. Dimara Air Base to fly back to Jakarta.

Besides Minister Sulaiman and Acting Governor Sufahriadi, the president was also accompanied by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) General Agus Subiyanto, and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Head Muhammad Herindra during his visit to Merauke.