For farmers joining the Senggi rice program, planting is only the beginning. The harder question comes later: who will buy the harvest?
In Senggi District, Keerom Regency, Papua, Governor Mathius D. Fakhiri is seeking to answer that question before the first major harvest arrives. The provincial government has coordinated with Indonesia’s state food logistics agency, Bulog, to ensure that rice produced through the People’s Rice Field Development Program, or Cetak Sawah Rakyat, has a market.
Fakhiri delivered the assurance during the first rice planting on newly developed farmland in Senggi on September 7, 2026. He said farmers should not be afraid that their harvest would remain unsold, provided the grain meets the required quality standards.
The commitment gives the agricultural program a second dimension. It is no longer only about opening new rice fields and increasing production. It is also about building a supply chain in which farmers can produce, sell, and benefit from the crops they grow.
For Papua, where geography and logistics can make access to markets difficult, that distinction matters.
From New Fields to a Guaranteed Market
The Senggi program is part of the provincial government’s broader effort to strengthen agriculture and food security.
On September 7, Fakhiri travelled to Senggi to conduct the first rice planting on land prepared through the People’s Rice Field program. The event brought together government officials, local communities, and other stakeholders involved in the agricultural development initiative.
The governor’s message was direct: farmers should not be asked to increase production without knowing where the harvest will go.
Fakhiri said the Papua provincial government had already communicated with Bulog regarding the absorption of agricultural products, particularly rice and corn. He also said a provincial government-owned enterprise would be prepared to purchase agricultural products from local communities.
The arrangement aims to instill confidence among farmers.
“Farmers do not need to worry about their harvest because the government, together with Bulog, will ensure there is a market that absorbs production as long as the grain meets the standards,” Fakhiri said, according to ANTARA.
The statement is significant because market uncertainty can discourage farmers from expanding production. A field may be successfully cultivated, but if transportation costs are high and buyers are uncertain, increased production does not automatically translate into higher household income.
The provincial government is therefore trying to address the market side at the same time as production expands.
The September 7 Planting Marks a New Phase
The first planting in Senggi represented a transition from land preparation toward actual agricultural production.
The government is developing the area to boost agricultural production in Papua, according to reports. The provincial Agriculture Office has identified substantial land potential in the Senggi area, with approximately 1,100 hectares reported to have undergone land clearing, leveling, and to be entering stages of field development and planting.
The broader potential has been reported at more than 6,500 hectares.
Those figures should be understood as development potential rather than fully operational rice fields. The distinction is important because land clearing, field preparation, planting, irrigation, crop maintenance, and harvesting all require time and continued investment.
Still, the scale indicates why the provincial government sees Senggi as more than a small agricultural project.
Fakhiri has described Senggi as an area with the potential to become an agricultural business center. Its position is also considered strategically important because it provides a connection toward Papua’s highland areas.
That geographical position could eventually allow agricultural products from Senggi to serve markets beyond the immediate district.
Technology Is Expected to Raise Productivity
The government is also looking beyond traditional farming methods.
The Papua Agriculture Office has set a target of up to 10 tonnes of rice per hectare in the Senggi People’s Rice Field program. The target is linked to the planned use of modern agricultural technology, including an Advanced Agriculture System and the PM-AAS approach.
A pilot area of around 50 hectares is planned to use PM-AAS technology, while other sections are expected to make use of drones and direct seeding technology known as Tabela.
Government officials have said these technologies could potentially raise productivity from an average of around four to five tonnes per hectare to approximately 10 tonnes.
That remains a target, rather than a result already achieved across the Senggi program.
The importance of the technology is therefore not simply the machinery itself. It is whether farmers can use it effectively, whether technical assistance continues through the growing cycle, and whether productivity gains remain economically viable.
The program is expected to involve the Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural research and modernization institutions, extension officers, and other relevant stakeholders.
The approach reflects a broader shift in Papua’s agricultural policy toward modern farming systems.
Farmers Need More Than Land
Opening agricultural land is one part of the equation.
Farmers also need seeds, fertilizer, machinery, technical knowledge, financing, transport, and reliable buyers.
Fakhiri said the provincial government would support the early development of the fields with seeds and fertilizer. He also stressed that assistance should reach farmers and should not become a paid service imposed on them.
The governor’s message reflects an important principle in the program: government assistance is intended to help communities become productive, rather than create new burdens for farmers at the beginning of the cultivation cycle.
The provincial government has also asked district and municipal administrations to continue supporting farmers, including ensuring the availability of agricultural inputs and expanding agricultural land where appropriate.
Such coordination will become increasingly important as the program grows.
If more land is planted but transportation, storage, or post-harvest handling cannot keep pace, farmers could face a different bottleneck.
The market guarantee through Bulog is therefore one part of a larger agricultural ecosystem.
Bulog’s Role Could Change Farmer Confidence
Bulog’s expected role is particularly important because it provides a potential institutional buyer for local agricultural production.
For smallholder farmers, having a government-backed food logistics institution as a potential buyer can reduce uncertainty, although actual purchases remain dependent on the grain meeting applicable quality standards.
Fakhiri specifically encouraged farmers to improve the quality of their grain so it meets Bulog’s requirements.
This creates an incentive structure.
The government provides support for production. Farmers improve cultivation and grain quality. Bulog provides a potential market for qualifying production. Provincial government enterprises may also participate in purchasing.
If implemented consistently, the arrangement could help build a more predictable agricultural value chain in Keerom.
It could also support Indonesia’s wider food security strategy by increasing the contribution of Papua’s agricultural areas to domestic food supplies.
The Program Also Protects Customary Land Rights
Economic development in Papua carries another important consideration: customary land ownership.
At the Senggi planting ceremony, Fakhiri explicitly addressed concerns surrounding the use of customary land for the rice-field program.
He said the land remained owned by Indigenous communities and would not be transferred to the provincial, regency, or district governments.
“Land remains the property of the Indigenous community,” Fakhiri said, emphasizing that the government was present to help open land and increase agricultural productivity rather than take ownership.
He also instructed agriculture officials, district governments, and village administrations to communicate the policy openly to communities.
The governor further said residents should not hesitate to raise concerns if questions emerged over land boundaries or ownership.
This aspect is particularly important for the long-term credibility of the program.
Agricultural development is more likely to be sustainable when communities understand their rights and remain involved in managing the land.
Fakhiri subsequently stressed that the people should become the main managers of the agricultural land and rice fields.
Senggi Rice Could Carry a Local Identity
The governor’s vision extends beyond producing ordinary rice.
Fakhiri has asked that rice produced in Senggi eventually carry the name of the local village or use a name derived from the local customary language.
He said the identity should not be viewed merely as branding.
Instead, it could become a source of community pride and encourage residents to continue developing agriculture.
This approach adds a cultural dimension to the agricultural program.
For an international audience, it is easy to view rice production purely through figures such as hectares, tonnes, and market prices. But for communities in Papua, agricultural products can also become part of local identity.
A locally branded rice product could eventually help distinguish Senggi’s output in the market if quality, supply consistency, and commercial demand develop sufficiently.
The governor hopes the rice will meet local consumption needs and eventually become a flagship product from Senggi.
Beyond Rice: Building a Diversified Food Economy
Fakhiri has also encouraged communities to develop crops beyond rice.
Corn and horticultural commodities are among the products identified for development alongside the new rice fields.
The reason is straightforward. Agricultural households are less vulnerable when their income and food supplies do not depend entirely on a single crop.
The provincial government sees diversification as part of efforts to strengthen food security and help control inflation in Papua.
The approach could eventually create a more diversified rural economy in Keerom.
Rice may provide the anchor commodity, while corn, horticultural crops, and other agricultural products create additional sources of income.
The challenge will be to develop appropriate markets for each commodity without creating new oversupply problems.
That is another reason why the government’s emphasis on market access is central to the broader strategy.
Senggi and Papua’s Food Security Agenda
The development in Keerom fits into a wider push to strengthen agricultural production across Papua.
Earlier this year, the Papua provincial government said it was pursuing rice-field development and agricultural processing facilities in several regencies. The government has also linked agricultural development with food security and economic strengthening.
In Keerom specifically, the provincial government has been promoting agriculture and livestock as part of a strategy to strengthen food security and local economic activity.
Fakhiri has previously described Keerom as an area with significant potential for agriculture and livestock development.
The Senggi program therefore fits into a larger policy direction rather than standing alone.
Its success could provide lessons for other agricultural areas in Papua, particularly in how land development, technology, market access, and community participation can be brought together.
The Wider Economic Meaning for Keerom
There is a larger economic question behind the rice fields.
Can agricultural development create an economic cycle in which farmers earn more, local businesses grow, and communities become increasingly connected to formal markets?
If production rises, demand should also increase for agricultural services.
Farmers may need machinery operators, transport providers, seed suppliers, storage facilities, milling services, and traders. Local shops and service providers could benefit from increased economic activity.
Over time, a successful agricultural center can create employment beyond the farm itself.
This is why the Senggi program has implications beyond food production.
It is potentially part of a rural economic development strategy.
However, the benefits will depend on implementation. Increased production without adequate infrastructure could increase pressure on farmers rather than reduce it.
The government will therefore need to maintain the same attention to logistics, quality control, and market access that it is currently giving to land preparation.
A Local Program with National Significance
For Indonesia, strengthening food production in Papua has a strategic dimension.
Papua’s geography gives it a different role from densely populated agricultural regions in western Indonesia. Developing productive farming areas can help diversify food production while strengthening local economies.
The government has framed the Senggi program as part of support for national food self-sufficiency.
Fakhiri said the certainty provided to farmers was intended to give them confidence to increase production and participate in the national food security effort.
The partnership between provincial institutions, Bulog, district authorities, agricultural agencies, and farmers therefore becomes important.
No single institution can build a functioning agricultural value chain alone.
A Development Model Built Around Farmers
The most important test of the Senggi program will not be the size of the land that is cleared.
It will be whether farmers remain at the center of the process.
Fakhiri has repeatedly emphasized that the land and rice fields belong to the community and that local people should manage them.
That position gives the program a different character from a model in which the government develops land and communities merely become laborers.
The stated objective is for communities to become productive owners and managers of an agricultural asset.
If that approach is matched by technical training, reliable inputs, modern technology, and stable market access, the economic impact could extend beyond the first harvest.
Conclusion
The first rice planting in Senggi is only the beginning.
The more consequential development may be the commitment by Governor Mathius D. Fakhiri to build a market around the fields before farmers begin harvesting at scale.
His assurance that Bulog will absorb qualifying rice production, combined with the planned role of a Papua provincial government-owned enterprise, gives farmers a clearer market outlook.
At the same time, the program combines several elements that will determine its long-term success: agricultural technology, seeds and fertilizer, technical assistance, land development, market access, crop diversification, and recognition of customary land ownership.
The target of 10 tonnes per hectare is ambitious and remains a goal. Whether Senggi reaches that level will depend on technology, farmer skills, infrastructure, weather, inputs, and sustained government support.
But the larger opportunity is already visible.
Senggi could become more than a new rice-growing area. It could develop into an agricultural economic center where local communities manage productive land, farmers gain access to formal markets, and locally identified products carry the name and character of their communities.
For Papua, that would represent a meaningful step in linking food security with rural prosperity.
And for the farmers standing at the beginning of the first planting cycle, the message from the provincial government is clear: they are not being asked simply to grow rice. They are being encouraged to build an agricultural business with a market waiting at the end of the harvest.
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