‘He is malnourished’: Why Indonesia’s Papua suffers from food insecurity in spite of government intervention

WHY PAPUA HAS FOOD SECURITY ISSUES

For a region to be resistant to food insecurity, it must fulfil three criteria, said Mdm Lunanka Daimboa, acting head of Papua province’s horticulture and food agency. 

She explained that food must be available, that there needs to be access to food distribution networks and food must be utilised.

“If one criteria is not (fulfilled), it will affect everything, and a region will be prone to food insecurity,” said Mdm Lunanka.

“Regarding food availability in Papua itself, we know that the food is mostly produced and imported from outside (of Papua).” 

Guidelines from the National Food Agency classify 21 commodities as essential food items, and these include rice, chicken, egg, beef, fish, corn, red bell pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper, sugar, and soybeans, among others. 

Meanwhile, Mdm Lunanka stressed that access to food distribution networks is also challenging in Papua, given its geographical location on the very eastern side of Indonesia. 

Economic development has mainly been on Java island, about 3,500km away, which is about the distance from Jakarta to Taiwan.