Manggarai Barat, East Nusa Tenggara - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) of Manggarai Barat Regency held a meeting with the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs at Hotel Meurorah, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara Province, on Monday (June 2, 2025).

The meeting aimed to strengthen the logistics supply chain in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region, particularly in Labuan Bajo, Manggarai Barat Regency.

One of the main discussion points was the establishment of a joint logistics forum, serving as a collaborative platform between the government and business actors to enhance the logistics distribution system to eastern Indonesia.

Charles Angliwarman, Chairman of Kadin Manggarai Barat, highlighted the critical role of local logistics in supporting supply chain independence, especially in the rapidly growing tourism sector in Labuan Bajo.

“Kadin Manggarai Barat and ALFI (Indonesian Logistics and Forwarders Association) NTT have a program called Logistic Tourism under the logistics scheme. There are two schemes: logistics sourced locally, and logistics from outside. For local logistics, it covers basic needs. However, in reality, nearly 85 percent of logistics—including rice for tourism needs such as hotels, restaurants, and ships—still come from outside,” Charles said.

Charles emphasized the need for concrete solutions to meet food requirements through local production, while simultaneously strengthening the position of farmers and MSMEs in the region.

Meanwhile, Albertus Elson, Vice Chairman of Kadin Manggarai Barat for Investment and Supply Chain, shared the success of the Kadin Agricultural Hub program in developing the supply chain from upstream to downstream.

Elson revealed that the Lembor area has successfully produced local rice brands, Molas Lembor and Labuan Bajo Rice, which are now being utilized in the hospitality sector.

“In the future, I am also committed to building 1,000 subsidized houses in Manggarai Barat. Currently, the permitting and construction processes are underway,” Elson added.

Furthermore, Margon, a representative from Perpadi NTT, disclosed that they have a memorandum of understanding with Bulog. However, a significant challenge remains: despite abundant rice stocks, market absorption is low.

“Bulog’s warehouses are full. We don’t know where to sell the rice. We don’t want to be mere spectators in the tourism growth. We urge the government’s attention,” Margon stressed.

This meeting serves as an important momentum to unite the efforts of the government, business actors, and communities in strengthening food independence and logistics in premium tourist destinations such as Labuan Bajo.