Director General of Infrastructure of the Ministry of Agriculture has distributed farming tools to paddy farmer groups in Nabire, Papua – Jubi/Titus Ruban
Merauke, Jubi – Five years after it was launched, the Village Development Strategic Plan (Respek) Program is more focused to infrastructure, Dr. Rafael Kapura found in his research.
“Indeed, there are some factors turning to obstacles, such as the geographically Papua is massive and remote, that human resources are not well prepared, the institution strengthening was not running while the market is not included in the government’s intervention,” he said in Merauke on Thursday (15/9/2016).
He said Respek, launched by former Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu to provide Rp 1 million grant for each village, also encountered many obstacles, such as high transportation cost to get raw materials, because it could only be reached by air or sea transportation.
“For example, if want to go the mountainous areas, the cost for aircraft lease is about Rp 15–20 million. It’s also applied to the southern area, that people should rent a ship,” he said.
Therefore, the amount of Rp 100 million for each village would be deducted automatically. So many development activities from the infrastructures to people’s economic empowerment certainly would not be optimal.
“The fact is the people’s economic activity to help people to make their living was practically none. So what was left for the program is the physical development is becoming dominant,” he said.
A resident from Waan Sub-district Soter Kamiawi admitted the only way to get to the villages in the sub-district is by sea transportation. No access of land or air modes. “It can’t be denied if the cost to rent a ship or speedboat is very expensive, because the fuel price is also expensive,” he said. (*/rom)
