Wamena –
The Provincial Government of Papua Pegunungan is enhancing the trade sector across the region’s eight regencies.
Acting Head of the Papua Pegunungan Regional Development, Research, and Innovation Agency (Bapperida), Marthen Kogoya, stated in Wamena on Tuesday that the trade sector is a vital component of future development plans to create economic growth opportunities.
“We’ve received information that residents in the eight regencies face difficulties in selling their agricultural products. Therefore, coordination with other regions will be pursued so that these agricultural goods can also be marketed outside Papua Pegunungan,” he said.
According to him, agriculture is a key potential in Papua Pegunungan that must be continuously developed by the community with government support, particularly by opening market access to other regions.
“The most feasible sectors for development are agriculture and plantations. Relevant government agencies must open up marketing opportunities so that agricultural products can be sold at better prices. If they are sold only within this area, prices will fall during harvest seasons,” he explained.
He emphasized that the Papua Pegunungan Trade Office must be more proactive in coordinating with the eight regency governments to stabilize the supply and pricing of staple goods.
“In line with the serious attention given by the Governor and Deputy Governor, the region’s potential must be maximized. At the same time, the supply and prices of basic goods in Wamena City must be controlled to avoid inflation,” he said.
He also added that technical government agencies should implement food crop programs evenly across all eight regencies so that residents are not overly reliant on food from outside the region.
“People must return to consuming local food. To achieve this, food crop programs must be strengthened with support and funding from the local government. By returning to local food consumption, market prices for basic goods will naturally stabilize due to the laws of supply and demand,” he said.
He noted that the 2025 regional revenue and expenditure budget (APBD) for Papua Pegunungan is approximately Rp2 trillion, but due to efficiency measures, it has been adjusted to Rp1.86 trillion.
“We hope this budget, which has been allocated through the DPA for 22 provincial departments, can be optimized across various sectors to improve the welfare of residents in the eight regencies,” he concluded.
