JAYAPURA - Head of the Papua Food Crops and Horticulture Office, Samuel Siriwa, said the cause of the decline in the Farmer Exchange Rate (NTP) in June 2024 was due to the price of production facilities received by farmers starting to rise.

It needs to be controlled immediately.

"That's why we hope that production facilities or shops will not increase prices at will but must be by the provisions," explained Siriwa in Jayapura City, on Tuesday.

Siriwa asked local farmers to be creative and innovative in developing agricultural commodities. The goal is to increase the value of food production in Papua.

"The point is that the decrease of Farmer Exchange Rate in June 2024 is a momentum for farmers to start innovating and being creative to increase productivity," he said.

Previously, the Head of BPS Papua Province, Adriana H. Carolina, said that the Farmer Exchange Rate in Papua was recorded to have decreased by 0.002 percent in June 2024 compared to the Farmer Exchange Rate in May 2024.

This is based on local rural price monitoring which is due to the price index received by farmers increasing by 0.473 percent, slower than the price index paid by farmers which increased by 0.475 percent.

"One of the five agricultural subsectors has increased, namely the Horticulture subsector," he said. ***