January 26, 2026 | 10:06 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta –The face of Wanam village in Ilwayab District, Merauke Regency, South Papua Province, has changed over the past year as the government accelerated its food and energy self-sufficiency project. Among the most visible developments was a special agricultural port that, according to official claims, had reached 87.39 percent completion as of December 12, 2025.
At the site, cranes stood atop barges and operated nearly without pause. When Tempo visited on Tuesday night, December 2, 2025, construction continued under the glare of floodlights. The next morning, mounds of sand and stone rose around the dock.
The port connected to a roughly 135-kilometer road built specifically to support the food self-sufficiency project. The road was unpaved, nothing more than a long stretch of compacted rock.
Construction of the dock was handled by Dua Samudera Perkasa, a port services company based in South Jakarta. Based on records from the Law Ministry’s General Legal Administration database, the company’s shareholders include Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad, known as Haji Isam, and Jhonlin Group. Isam’s second child, Jhony Saputra, was listed as a commissioner.
Indonesian Minister Compares Merauke Food Estate Land With Australia
12 hari lalu
Airlangga Hartarto compared the quality of land for the food estate in Merauke, Papua province, Indonesia, with land conditions in Australia
The Trap of Ambitious Self-Sufficiency Programs
23 Oktober 2025
Controversy over Prabowo Subianto's self-sufficiency food and energy security drive is intensifying-threatening communities and the environment.
The Future Is Still Ours to Shape
8 September 2025
If economic choices continue to make the majority suffer, the existing crisis will only deepen.
Environmental Damage Claims More Lives Than Wars, Indonesian Minister Claims
28 Mei 2025
Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar stated that the environmental damage has caused natural disasters that directly impact all living beings.
Indonesia's Food Self-Sufficiency Program Harms the Environment, Celios Warns
19 April 2025
An analysis of the potential environmental damage caused by the government's food self-sufficiency program.
A Deep Breath to Opposing Problematic Projects
10 April 2025
The Prabowo administration continues the national strategic projects that have been proven problematic.
Celios: IHSG Tumbles as Public Doubts Prabowo's Economic Policies
19 Maret 2025
Lack of public confidence in the economic policies adopted by the Prabowo Subianto administration is cited as one of the reasons behind the decline of IHSG.
Total Failure of the Food Estate Program
15 Januari 2025
Following the failure of its pilot project, the government is actually extending the food estate program in North Sumatra.
Celios: Central Govt's Dominant Role in Food Estate PSN Violates Papua's Special Autonomy
23 Desember 2024
Overall, the Merauke food estate area consists of five clusters and is spread across 13 districts.
Hashim Denies Massive Deforestation in Papua Food Estate
2 Desember 2024
Hashim Djojohadikusumo asserts that the deforestation rate in the food estate project in Merauke, South Papua, is not as significant as widely rumored
