Indonesia's RASKIN Program: A View from West Papua

Written by a West Papuan citizen...

RASKIN is an ostensibly charitable programme that only brings more harm to West Papuans.

Papuans have consumed sago and tuberous root such as sweet potatoes and cassava for ages. Today these traditional staple foods are now being replaced by rice. The Government of Indonesia introduced the “RASKIN� programme to West Papua six years ago. RASKIN stands for Beras Miskin meaning literally Rice (for) the Poor.

The Indonesian government began distributing subsidized rice nationally when the country was facing a severe economic crisis. Although it is meant to help poor people, RASKIN actually destroys the eating habits of the Papuan, both in the lowlands and in the highlands. It also undermines sustainable crops, as slowly but surely, West Papuans are consuming more rice than sago or sweet potatoes. A provincial agency which deals with food matters reports that rice is now the staple diet of 55% of Papuans. Only 30% eat tuberous root and 15% eat sago.

According to the KOMPAS daily newspaper, BULOG allocates 43,000 metric tons of rice for 256,622 poor households in West Papua each year. BULOG is a central government agency that is responsible for the distribution of rice. Rice is sent to Papua from Java, Bali and Sulawesi islands. Sometimes it is imported from other countries.

When it arrives in Papua, it is distributed in the market by DOLOG - a lower branch of BULOG. To accelerate its distribution in the mountainous region, local government-chartered MAF and AMA airplanes are used - airlines owned by Protestant and Catholic missionaries. A West Papuan who works for AMA said that a large AMA airplane called PILATUS can carry up to one metric ton of rice to any village in the remote area.

It is not surprising that subsidized rice sold under this scheme is much cheaper than other traditional West Papuan staple foods. Here in the local market, rice is sold for between 5,000 and 6,500 rupiahs per kilogram - much cheaper than sago or sweet potatoes, which sell for 10,000 rupiahs per package.

The Indonesian government has subsidized the production of rice for years. The subsidy goes to fertilizer, imported agricultural equipment, and the construction of dams and irrigation networks. On the other hand, the local sago producers in West Papua have never enjoyed any government assistance. Most of them still use traditional tools for extracting starch from the Sago tree (Metroxylon Rumphii). This is why sago is more expensive than rice.

The RASKIN programme discourages Papuan farmers from producing sago and growing sweet potatoes, which they have been doing for thousands of years in one of the oldest and most sustainable agricultural traditions on Earth. This situation is getting worse. The amount of money spent by Papuans to buy rice is increasing. Since Papua cannot produce sufficient rice for itself, billions of rupiahs flow out of the island every year. If Papuans chose to buy sago or cassava, more money would circulate within the island, supporting various economic activities of the local people.

To overcome this condition, the Indonesian government plans to open millions of hectares of rice fields in Merauke, converting fresh water swamps into rice paddies. Consequently, such an ambitious plan needs more transmigrants to implement it, leaving West Papuans to face the reality of becoming a minority in their own land.

... is a concerned citizen living in West Papua.