JAYAPURA - The Papua Provincial Government, through the Department of Industry and Trade, continues to strengthen regional food security as a strategic effort to maintain the stability of staple food prices. One of the main focuses being promoted is increasing local food production to reduce dependence on supplies from outside Papua.

Acting Head of the Papua Provincial Department of Industry and Trade, Yoniman Ronting, said that most of the community's food needs are still supplied from outside the region. This condition makes commodity prices in Papua quite vulnerable to distribution disruptions and rising logistics costs.

"In addition, the increase in fuel prices also has an impact. Some goods are brought in from outside Papua, so transportation and distribution costs automatically rise, which affects selling prices at the consumer level," Yoniman said.

To maintain price stability, the government continues to take various control measures, including market intervention when necessary. However, Yoniman emphasized that strengthening local production is a more effective long-term solution to maintain supply availability and reduce price fluctuations.

"Market intervention is indeed necessary to maintain price stability. However, what is more important is how Papua can reduce its dependence on supplies from outside the region by increasing local production," he said.

According to him, one effort that needs to be strengthened is the arrangement of planting patterns for horticultural commodities in production centers. With coordinated planting schedules, supply availability can be maintained throughout the year while preventing overproduction during the main harvest season, which could cause prices to fall sharply.

The Department of Industry and Trade of Papua also continues to monitor staple food prices daily and strengthen supervision of goods distribution in markets. These measures are carried out to ensure smooth supply and prevent practices that could disrupt price stability.

"Commodities such as chili, onions, and tomatoes must continue to be produced in Papua. The stronger local production becomes, the smaller our dependence on outside supplies will be, so price stability can be better maintained and regional food security will become stronger," Yoniman concluded. ***