Jayapura, Papua, Dec. 10 -- The Indonesian government aims to clear 100,000 hectares of land to support rice cultivation in Papua, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said.

During a visit to the provincial capital Jayapura on Wednesday, he said his ministry is ready to help the Papua administration achieve its food self-sufficiency goals.

He said the ministry will begin by clearing 20,000 hectares and will soon supply equipment for paddy field preparation to support farmers starting the planting process.

Papua Governor Mathius Fakhiri welcomed the plan, saying that alongside the four districts currently planting rice, two additional districts will also be developed for cultivation.

He said Papua fully supports the rice-paddy developme...