Minister of Agriculture: West Papua must preserve sago as food reserves

Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo asked people in West Papua Province to continue to preserve sago plants as food reserves.

"Sago is an extraordinary plant that has been given by God and has been around for a long time to fulfill local food, so it should not be abandoned," he said during a working visit to Manokwari, Tuesday.

He said there is also a great chance that sago will strengthen food security in West Papua Province and of course it will affect national food security.

"We eat rice, we eat sago, we also eat tubers so that we stay strong and healthy," he said.

He conveyed that the sago crop would be used to strengthen food security in West Papua. This matter will be discussed further with the Acting Governor of West Papua Paulus Waterpauw so that the results will be much better.

Minister of Agriculture Yasin Limpo said that according to President Joko Widodo's orders, agriculture must be the economic support for people's lives throughout Indonesia

He said that the President also ordered the regions to optimize their efforts to increase agricultural development.

Therefore, the West Papua Provincial Government has carried out a planting movement to strengthen food security in order to face future crises.

"Because the West Papua Provincial Government has extensive agricultural land to grow food crops. Strengthen food security in the West Papua Province because it will contribute to national food security," he said.

SOURCE : https://papuabarat.antaranews.com/berita/21453/mentan-papua-barat-harus-lestarikan-sago-as-cadangan-pangan