Lampung Launches National Cassava Center to Boost Crop Development

Lampung Governor Rahmat Mirzani Djausal launched the National Cassava Center at the University of Lampung on July 24, 2026. The initiative aims to establish Lampung as Indonesia's primary center for cassava development.

The National Cassava Center is designed as a collaborative national hub to enhance research, boost productivity, promote downstream processing, and improve the welfare of cassava farmers. Governor Mirza emphasized that the center is more than just a research institution; it marks the beginning of an integrated cassava ecosystem. This ecosystem will connect scientific knowledge, technology, investment, industry, and farmers within a mutually reinforcing value chain.

Lampung possesses significant advantages for leading national cassava development, with approximately 70 percent of Indonesia's cassava production originating from the province. This crop supports hundreds of thousands of farming families. However, for decades, cassava development has lacked an integrated ecosystem. Industries and farmers operated in isolation, while land productivity lagged behind competitors like Thailand and Vietnam, which had advanced research, technology, and government support for their tapioca industries.

Furthermore, nearly 500,000 cassava farmers in Lampung have faced sharp price fluctuations for years. This instability often led to prolonged demonstrations when prices dropped to around Rp 600-Rp 700 per kilogram. The Lampung provincial government intervened as a mediator, bringing together farmers, industry representatives, and the central government. This led to agreements, including policies to control imports, enabling industries to increase their purchase prices for farmers' cassava.

"Today, cassava prices have reached around Rp 2,200 per kilogram. This shows that when farmers, industry, and the government unite, the benefits are directly felt by the community," stated Governor Mirza. He added that improving prices is not the final goal. The next challenge is to increase productivity to surpass global leading producers. To achieve this, the government is establishing the National Cassava Center with the University of Lampung as a national innovation hub. This hub will focus on developing superior varieties, agricultural mechanization, cultivation technology, and downstream processing of cassava products. The plan received support from the Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas, Rachmat Pambudy, who urged Lampung to develop a research center with regional scope.