In a landmark step toward enhancing regional economic integration, the Government of Papua Pegunungan Province has embarked on a groundbreaking partnership with the Biak Numfor Regency to strengthen inter-regional trade and food security. Governor John Tabo led a delegation from the highlands to Biak on July 14, 2025, initiating a three-day coordination meeting (Rakortek) that aims to formalize a sustainable and mutually beneficial economic alliance.
A Strategic Barter Alliance: Feeding Papua
The heart of the partnership lies in a grassroots barter-based model—an innovative approach where highland agricultural produce will be exchanged directly with coastal fishery products. Farmers in Papua Pegunungan will contribute potatoes, carrots, shallots, coffee, and tubers, while Biak and neighboring maritime regencies such as Supiori, Yapen, and Waropen will supply fresh fish and seafood. According to Governor Tabo, this cooperation is about more than just trade—it’s about empowering local communities through a system that values fairness, cultural connection, and regional potential. “We aim to connect the highland harvest with the rich marine resources of the coast, creating a system where both economies reinforce one another,” Tabo explained.
The cooperation is being launched not only as a trade initiative but also as a strategic tool to combat inflation. Biak Numfor has recently received national recognition for its success in controlling local inflation and ensuring food resilience. Through village-based agricultural programs like chili and sago cultivation, the regency has managed to reduce dependency on imports while stabilizing local prices. Integrating this system with food supplies from Papua Pegunungan’s fertile soils is expected to fortify both regions against future economic shocks.
Biak’s ambitions don’t stop at local trade. The regency is developing into a maritime economic hub in the Pacific region. Investments in infrastructure—ranging from fishing ports and cold storage units to logistics centers and digital marketplaces—have boosted the local economy and increased incomes for coastal communities. A key success story was the shipment of 10 tons of fresh tuna from Biak to Wamena for Christmas in 2023, which not only fulfilled seasonal demand in the highlands but also proved the logistical viability of inter-regional trade in Papua.
Broadening the Blue Economy
To support the new alliance, both governments are aligning policies, resources, and infrastructure. Cold-chain logistics are being prioritized to ensure the safe transport of perishable goods like fish and vegetables across mountainous terrain. Training programs and digital platforms are being introduced to assist farmers and fisherfolk in pricing, quality control, and sustainable trade practices. A permanent trade coordination forum is expected to be established following the Rakortek, enabling continuous communication and evaluation between the highland and coastal districts.
This initiative is also part of a broader vision to promote a Blue Economy in Papua. By creating a trade corridor that links the fisheries of Biak and Waropen with the agricultural zones of Wamena, Lanny Jaya, and Pegunungan Bintang, both regions are working to maximize their comparative advantages. Local governments are hopeful that this model—if successful—can serve as a blueprint for other isolated regions in Indonesia.
For local communities, the impact is already being felt. In villages scattered throughout the Papuan highlands, farmers are preparing their harvests for new markets. In coastal Biak, fishing cooperatives like Kalamo have begun scaling up operations to meet inland demand. Cold storage facilities managed in collaboration with SOEs such as Pelindo and Pindad International have enabled fishers to extend shelf life and increase sales volume. Many fishermen now earn up to Rp 2 million per day, a significant improvement from previous years.
Families like Mama Yohana’s in Pegunungan Tengah see the change as transformative. Her teenage son, once unsure about his future in the village, now participates in an agricultural cooperative that sends produce directly to Biak. “This initiative brings hope,” she said. “For the first time, we feel connected to something bigger.”
From a policy perspective, the partnership is backed by robust institutional support. The central government, through the Ministries of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, and Public Works, has pledged to fund the necessary infrastructure to sustain the model. Public-private partnerships will also play a key role, especially in transportation and food processing.
Yet, challenges remain. Transporting fish to high-altitude areas like Wamena requires advanced cold-chain logistics and dependable road networks. Ensuring fair pricing in the absence of cash exchange calls for strict monitoring and transparent systems. Moreover, inter-agency coordination across multiple administrative levels must be improved to avoid overlap or delays.
Despite these obstacles, optimism is high. The economic cooperation between Papua Pegunungan and Biak is not just a story of trade—it is a story of solidarity between regions that have long struggled with geographic isolation, limited infrastructure, and economic disparity. It reflects a shared determination to reimagine regional development, not as a top-down policy from Jakarta, but as a collaborative, locally-led transformation driven by the people of Papua themselves.
As Governor Tabo remarked during the Rakortek opening ceremony: “This is about building a future where our farmers and fishermen lead the economy—not from the margins, but from the center.” If the partnership succeeds in Papua, it could very well become a model for sustainable regional trade and food security in frontier regions across Indonesia.
Conclusion
The economic cooperation between Papua Pegunungan and Biak Numfor marks a significant shift in how inter-regional development can be approached in Indonesia’s eastern frontier. By leveraging their respective strengths—agriculture in the highlands and fisheries on the coast—these two regions are setting an example of how geographically and culturally distinct areas can collaborate to build inclusive, resilient local economies.
More than just a barter trade, the initiative represents a grassroots-driven economic transformation that places power back in the hands of farmers and fishers, reduces dependence on long and fragile supply chains, and offers a practical solution to food security and inflation control.
If successful, this highland-coast synergy could become a national model for regional empowerment, bridging Indonesia’s economic gaps not through large-scale industrialization alone, but through smart, localized cooperation grounded in the realities and potential of each region.