Have you ever heard of Wondama Bay, located in West Papua?
Wondama Bay was originally part of the Manokwari Regency. However, since the development of regional autonomy for the Papua region based on Law No. 26 of 2002, this area has become an independent district.
Manokwari Regency has been divided into three regions: Manokwari Regency, Bintuni Bay, and Wondama Bay. On April 12, 2003, this regency was formally established.
Rasiey is the district capital of this area, which covers approximately 4,000 square kilometers. Rumberpon, North Wasior, Wasior, South Wasior, West Wasior, Windesi, and Wames are the seven districts in this region.
Green Economic Growth Program (GEGP) in West Papua
Green Economic Growth is a joint Indonesian-British government program implemented by the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Areas, and Transmigration in collaboration with the United Kingdom Climate Change Unit (UKCCU).
Since 2013, the Green Growth Program has assisted Indonesia in achieving green growth, which can reduce poverty while also increasing social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and resource efficiency.
This program is supported by the implementation of Indonesia’s belief, which was one of the GGGI’s founding members in 2012, that economic growth and environmental sustainability must be integrated for humanity’s future.
This program aims to persuade the provincial governments of Papua and West Papua to manage green economic development at the local level. It is also to generate investment in green businesses through a series of capacity building and mentoring activities while increasing access to costs for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in rural and urban areas.
This program has five outputs, which are as follows:
- Access to supply chains, markets, services, and appropriate technology for producer groups, MSMEs, and Intermediary Service Providers is being expanded
- Farmers’ and major producers’ business plans are being implemented, and household and group financial management is being improved
- Development of agribusiness intervention plans that were tested in pilot sites
- MSMEs, ISPs, and BUMKAM in urban and peri-urban areas have improved their business management skills
- Targeting supply chain mobilization of public and private sector support through knowledge sharing processes, as well as demonstrating GEGP success
Seaweed is one of the commodities developed in this program, along with cacao, coffee, coconut, nutmeg, and sago.
Through technical assistance, training, and workshops, as well as supporting technology or equipment, this program assists farmers in increasing the work productivity and quality of these six commodities. In terms of social development, this program prioritizes widows and women who later work in cottage industries.
Green Project Seaweed
Wondama Bay Regency is one of the areas in Papua where seaweed is grown. This area’s seaweed is harvested by local farmers and shipped to various parts of Indonesia and abroad.
There are currently three areas that cultivate seaweed: Roswar District, Roon District, and Rumberpon District. These three areas where seaweed is cultivated indirectly demonstrate that seaweed cultivation is still in its early stages.
Wondama Bay, in fact, has enormous potential for seaweed cultivation. The yield from this area’s cultivation is also expected to be 200 tons. This seaweed from Wondama Bay is still unable to meet the international market target because it is still grown on a small or household scale and managed in a traditional manner.
Nonetheless, Balitbangda West Papua sent 20 tons of seaweed harvest to Surabaya in 2020. Because the potential in Wondama Bay is so great, the head of the West Papua Balitbangsa hopes that crop yields can increase up to 100 times to 200 tons.
Transportation, on the other hand, remains a barrier. This is because the costs of distribution channels have a significant impact on farm prices.
Apart from the insight provided to local residents, this is one of the major challenges that the local government must address in order to maximize facilities and technology.
Closing
Wondama Bay has enormous potential for developing the six commodities identified in the Green Economic Growth Program. Cacao, coffee, coconut, nutmeg, sago, and seaweed are the six commodities.
This program is a collaboration between the Indonesian and British governments with the goal of maximizing and preserving these six commodities for future human welfare.
Wondama Bay has a large potential for seaweed production. However, this cultivation has not been carried out optimally. This is due to the fact that current cultivation is still on a small scale, despite the fact that national and international market demand is very high.
As a result, the government must make efforts to meet this challenge by educating the surrounding community about the benefits of this program. Furthermore, improvements in cultivation facilities and technology must be considered by the government as well.
This is information about seaweed farming in Wondama Bay Regency, West Papua Province. More West Papua news can be found here!
