Strategi Pengembangan Sagu sebagai Komoditas Unggulan Lokal: Analisis Potensi, Rantai Nilai, dan Arah Hilirisasi di Kawasan Transmigrasi Salor, Merauke, Papua Selatan

Abstract

This study aims to map the economic potential of leading commodities in the Salor Transmigration Area (STA), Merauke, South Papua. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to determine the leading commodity. Interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), SWOT analysis, and direct field observations were conducted to obtain in-depth information on commodities, value chains, socio-cultural conditions, and downstream development directions. The Salor Transmigration Area consists of six districts (Semangga, Tanah Miring, Jagebob, Kurik, Malind, and Animha). The population comprises former transmigrants and indigenous Papuans (OAP), with 65.97% classified as being of productive age. Respondents were purposively selected from local villages. Food commodities in the area include rice, maize, soybeans, cassava, peanuts, mung beans, taro, yam (gembili), and sago. The AHP results show a very narrow gap between rice and sago (rice = 50.96%; sago = 49.04%), indicating that sago has nearly equal competitiveness. Sago is traditionally processed to produce wet starch; however, some communities have begun semi-mechanical processing, yielding up to 250 kg of dry starch per trunk. The traditional sago supply chain starts from farmers to collectors and then to end consumers, while semi-mechanically processed sago is distributed directly from farmers to end consumers. Semi-mechanical processing produces higher-quality starch and generates greater profits. Sago enterprises are economically feasible, with an NPV > 0 at a 5% discount factor, an IRR of 88% (>5%), a payback period of 13 months, and a net B/C ratio of 3.99. The development of sago in the Salor Transmigration Area has great potential to drive the local economy while simultaneously supporting food security and climate resilience. The advantages of sago are also reinforced by its social and ecological values. Sago is not merely regarded as a commodity, but as an integral part of local community life, symbolizing identity, customs, culture, and the preservation of life. Based on the overall findings, an integrated development strategy is required, encompassing the strengthening of basic infrastructure, modernization of processing, enhancement of community capacity—particularly in downstream processing, financial management, and marketing,and the involvement of customary institutions throughout every stage of the value chain. Sago has strong potential to become a key economic driver for indigenous Papuan communities and to emerge as a new business opportunity in the Salor Transmigration Area, in line with the development of the South Papua Provincial government center.