InfoSAWIT, MERAUKE – District of Merauke and PT. Bio Inti Agrindo (PT. BIA) got strategic partnership to develop the people and conserve the nature. By the second public consultation, it is hoped that every party could share their roles to realize the same goal, which is, Merauke – the gate for welfare, smart and healthy people.

The public consultation which discussed about social activity, conservation programs were held on Monday, 26 June 2023 at Hotel Halogen, Merauke. It was attended by education agency, health agency, villager empowerment agency, representatives of heads of villages, indigenous people’s institutions, figures in religion and society, DPMPTSP BKSDA, food security agency, Politeknik Yasanto, Universitas Musamus, and others.

It is hoped to inform the results in 2022 and get aspiration, input from stakeholders, synergize with District of Merauke together with PT. BIA to run the future programs to be right on targets and realized according to the people’s needs.

Secretary District of Merauke that was represented by Jeremias Ndiken told that the Malind has to have smart children so that they could develop the district. “The share from plasma stakeholders could be used by the people well, divided, and saved,” he said when delivering his speec in the Public Consultation of Social Activity and Conservation Program, Monday, (26/6/2023) Merauke, Papua Province.

Meanwhile General Manager PT BIA, Yanto Dawenan said that the event was the commitment of PT. BIA as sustainable company that needs supports from other stakeholders so that the activity plans in 8 (eight) villages can be run well.

It was also the follow up from strategic partnership between the two parties which was running in June 2022. At the chance, PT. BIA that was represented by Resit Sozer as program manager told the progress in the past one year, such as, social culture, and economic – study that was conducting with Politeknik Yasanto, Merauke. “The baseline study would be the benchmark/indicator to implement the programs,” Soze said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT.

Developing the people and conserve the nature would focus on in Distrik Muting and Ulilin in eight (8) villages, they are, Selil, Kindiki, Pachas, Muting, Boha, Kolam, Wan, and Selauw. Besides education agency also told the baseline result of education by using national education standards which were done in May 2023 and followed up by delivering health baseline result which has had memorandum of understanding between PT.BIA and Badan Kependudukan Keluarga Berencana Nasional (BKKBN). The study was running in April 2023 by Muting health center and clinic of PT BIA which was supervised by health agency by having screening and interview to determine the targets of nutrient improvement/giving additional foods.

One program that supports to prevent stunting as part of prior issue in national scale has been planned by President Joko Widodo in National Medium - Term Development Plan (2020 – 2024) with the decreasing target from 24,4% in 2021 to be 14% in 2024.

For information, stunting is chronical nutrition issue because of lack of nutrients in food for a long period that bothers children to grow.

The program would run by delivering additional food for the pregnant women, breast – feeding women, and not more than five year - old babies. It is hoped by delivering additional food, the mothers and children would be better and free from stunting issue. “Delivering additional food would be right on -targets as it was identified in eight villagers. It is hoped, the mother and children would be free from stunting issue,” Doctor Wawang Tirtana explained in this year health program. Besides, the officers also delivered socialization about healthy and clean life-style, information about nutrients in the development activity for the next 12 months.

The collaboration result between PT. BIA and Program Pembangunan dan Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Desa (P3MD) successfully established Badan Usaha Milik Kampung (BUMK) in three villages in 2023, they arem Selil, Kindiki, and Muting to be the pilot project to manage local business, socialize the establishment of BMK, arrange articles of association and villagers’ meeting which was done in May 2023 by TAPM P3MD, TPP Distrik Muting and Distrik Ulilin with PT.BIA. (T1)