Indonesia's Prabowo visits Papua to check key food estate project

President Prabowo Subianto visited the Papua region of Indonesia on Sunday to oversee the development of a key food programme aimed at creating three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of food estates across the country.

Prabowo has promised that the country could reach food self-sufficiency in the next four years. An advisor to Prabowo has said the food estates programme may add 20 million tons of paddy rice or 10 million tons of harvested rice.

One million hectares will be located in the Merauke regency of South Papua province, which Prabowo visited on Sunday. The remaining will be located in Sumatra and Kalimantan islands.

The government has said the food estates will focus on increasing rice production, with the country relying on imports of rice and other commodities such as sugar.

To support the Merauke food programme Jakarta plans to build a dock in the Wanam region and a 135 kms (84 mile) road from Wanam to Muting region to assist farmers, according to a statement from the palace.

It was Prabowo’s first visit to the Papua region after being inaugurated as Indonesia’s 8th president last month. The food programme was started during former president Joko Widodo's era.