REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Minister for Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman said West Papua holds the future for Indonesian agriculture.

West Papua has wide land suitable for farming with scarce population of less than a million, the minister said here on Wednesday.

"The land is so vast and the population is only around 800,000 that development of farm lands would be concentrated in the province," he said.

He said he would encourage the provincial administration to seek to boost its production of food crop such as rice, corn and soybean and other peanuts which are potential for exports.

West Papua also is potential to develop large plantation areas to grow coffee, cacao, pepper and other export commodities, he said.

The province already produces nutmeg, a potential export commodity, grown in the regency of Fakfak and breadfruit produced in Sorong and the regency of Manokwari.

"I have passed order the director general to send a team to the regency of Fak Fak to hold a survey for expansion of nutmeg plantations there this year," he said.

This year the ministry will provide a budget for West Papua to provide free seeds to farmers to grow breadfruit plants .

He said he hoped Papua farmers would be encouraged to fully utilize the ample land for their own welfare.

"With hard work Indonesia now no longer needs to import rice, corn and onion," he cited.

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