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Govt to start work on Merauke sugar factory in 2024
The government plans to build a sugar factory in the special economic zone (SEZ) of Merauke to boost domestic production.
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Workers harvest sugarcane at Kewadungan village in Kediri, East Java, on June 21, 2022. (Antara/Prasetia Fauzani)
T
he government plans to commence work on a sugar factory in the special economic zone (SEZ) of Merauke, South Papua, next year, as it pushes efforts to boost domestic production.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said his ministry was in discussions with the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry about building a sugar plant in the area, picking Papua as a location due to the abundance of land there.
“Hopefully, we can start next year [the construction of the sugar factory in Merauke], but we’re currently focusing on rice,” Andi said, as quoted by Kumparan.
The government is also encouraging the participation of private-sector investors, with Andi noting that sugar factories had been built by private companies in several regions of Indonesia.
“Previously, we built 10 sugar factories with the support of private enterprises. Currently, some of these factories are operating in South Sumatra, Bombana of Southeast Sulawesi [and] West Nusa Tenggara," Andi told Kumparan on Monday, adding that, "if I am not mistaken, the sugar factory located in Palembang [South Sumatra] was built in a marshy area."
The Palembang plant was the first to be built on such land, according to Kumparan.
Read also: Food prices to remain high through year-end, Bapanas says
