Government Reviews Umbi-umbian Varieties Overcome Hunger In Central Papua

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy. BETWEEN/Luqman Hakim

YOGYAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said the government is reviewing varieties of tubers suitable for overcoming hunger in Puncak Regency, Central Papua.

"We are currently reviewing the variety of tubers suitable for the region," said Muhadjir at the Suara Muhammadiyah Tower building, Yogyakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, August 11.

As an effort to handle the long term, he said, the varieties of tubers that are being prepared are varieties that are resistant to bad weather such as ice fog that appears in Agandugume District, Central Papua.

"Resilient when there is ice fog. So, what is very deadly and rots tubers as their staple food is ice fog," he said.

Muhadjir said that he had received information from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) that certain types of plants could already be planted in the Dieng Mountains, Central Java.

The government, according to him, will immediately ensure whether the climate where the plant is located is in accordance with the conditions in Puncak Regency, Central Papua.

"In Agandugume the height is 9 thousand feet, that means around 4 thousand above sea level, then the air is thin," he said.

Meanwhile, regarding the short-term solution for handling hunger in Puncak Regency, said Muhadjir, it is to meet the needs of food in affected areas for the next three months using the land route. "Anyway, for the next three months there will be food availability, enough," he said.

The medium-term solution is to extend the runway or runway of Sinak Airport in Puncak Regency to land Hercules aircraft transporting foodstuffs.

"If Hercules can land, we can transport foodstuffs. Not only that, including materials for infrastructure development, it can be through Sinak. This beach is a very strategic airport, it can reach several surrounding districts, not only in the Puncak Regency district, but also districts outside, including Puncak Jaya, Lani Jaya," said Muhadjir.