Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini stated that her side had collaborated with several church groups in Yahukimo District, Highland Papua Province, to prepare for social barns.
"For the long-term preparation, we have collaborated with church groups to prepare buffer stock, but the priority is preparing social barns," she noted in Jakarta on Thursday.
In the efforts to mitigate drought, she stated that the government is currently focusing on teaching village residents to cultivate food plants, especially resilient varieties amid extreme weather conditions.
"We have left for Tolikara to plant potatoes, carrots, mustard greens, and tubers," the minister remarked.
She noted that during the period from 2021 to 2023, the central government had prepared 36 social barns in Papua, West Papua, Southwest Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, and Central Papua as a preparation effort to face the possibility of a drought that could lead to food shortages.
According to Rismaharini, five social barns are spread in Sorong City in West Papua, Teluk Wondama District in West Papua, and Maybrat District in Southwest Papua.
This is followed by 21 social barns in the districts of Biak, Keerom, Sarmi, and Supiori in Papua Province, while four social barns were prepared in the districts of Jayawijaya, Tolikara, and Bintang Mountain in the Highland Papua Province, she remarked.
In addition, there are three social barns in the districts of Merauke and Boven Digoel in South Papua Province as well as three social barns in the districts of Nabire, Puncak Jaya, and Paniai in Central Papua Province, the minister noted.
Rismaharini remarked that the government also considered security issues in deploying workers to build social barns in Papua.
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Translator: Devi Nindy Sari R, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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