Jayapura – The Papua Provincial Government continues to strengthen the agricultural sector by targeting the expansion of new rice fields of 18,000 hectares by 2026. This program is part of a major strategy in increasing rice production while strengthening food security in the Papua region.
Acting (Plt) Head of the Papua Provincial Food and Horticulture Service, Lunanka Daimboa, said that the program is a continuation of the people’s rice field printing activities that had started in the previous year.
“In 2025, we have cleared around 1,000 hectares of land. This year we continue with a bigger target to encourage an increase in agricultural production,” he said in Jayapura, Friday (4/3/2026).
According to him, the development of the rice fields will be focused on four potential areas, namely Keerom Regency, Jayapura Regency, Waropen Regency, and Yapen Islands. These four areas are considered to have land potential that can be optimized for the development of rice agriculture.
Currently, the program is still in the early stages in the form of land survey and identification. This stage will be continued with land clearing before entering the planting phase.
“The current process is still in the identification survey stage. After that, it is continued with land clearing so that it can immediately enter the planting stage,” explained Lunanka.
He added that the success of this program depends on the optimization of each stage, from planning to implementation in the field. Therefore, his party encourages cross-sector synergy so that the acceleration of the program can run according to the target.
The acceleration is also supported by the involvement of the food brigade as well as intensive assistance from agricultural extensionists who routinely conduct field monitoring to ensure the readiness of land and farmers.
Through this rice field printing program, the Papua Provincial Government hopes to significantly increase agricultural productivity, reduce supply dependence from outside the region, and create sustainable food independence for the Papuan people.
