The results of a search by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Papua Province revealed that the number of poor urban areas increased by 0.12 percentage points to 4.59 percent (from 4.47 percent) in March 2020.
The increasing percentage of poor people in urban areas, due to the role of food commodities to the Poverty Line is much greater than the role of non-food commodities.
"This is also seen in the percentage of poor people in Papua region over the last six months which has increased by 0.16 percentage points, namely from 26.64 percent in March 2020 to 26.80 percent in September 2020," explained Head of Central Statistics Agency of Papua Province Adriana Helena Carolina in Jayapura, Monday.
In addition to urban areas, the percentage of poor rural Papua also rose by 0.19 percentage points to 35.69 percent (from 35.50 percent) in March 2020.
"Food commodities that have a big influence on the Poverty Line of Papua Province in urban areas are rice, filter clove cigarettes, puffed fish, purebred chicken eggs, and wet cakes. Then the food commodities that have a big influence on the Poverty Line in rural areas are cassava or yams, rice, filter clove cigarettes, cassava trees and cassava leaves," he explained.
In addition, he added, there was an increase in the Open Unemployment Rate (TPT) in August 2020 of 4.28 percent, compared to the August condition of the previous year.
Where there is a decrease in purchasing power of the community, caused by a decrease in economic activity in Papua Province and the realization of Cash Social Assistance (BST) in Papua Province is only 65.2 percent.
"The third phase of village fund distribution in 2020 has been delayed, where 13.05 percent of villages have received village funds, this has caused the distribution of Village Fund-Direct Cash Assistance to be delayed, as well as the distribution of food programs in Papua Province has only reached 59.5 percent, while other provinces in Indonesia have reached more than 85 percent".
"Not to mention in early September 2020, Jayapura City implemented "New Normal", but within the next two weeks the case of COVID-19 positive population increased rapidly, where indirectly, this impacted the economy of the people in Jayapura City," he concluded.