Hashim said he would raise several issues at the summit, including accusations of environmental degradation leveled against the food plantation program.

“(I will) also refute several (reports) of deforestation claims that have given the impression that the food planting program is destructive. The Indonesian government does not agree with these (allegations). We can create food plantations while protecting the environment,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday, as reported by Detik Finance.

Indonesia plans for Papua to play a vital role in the national food program. Last month, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan announced a five-year plan to develop 2 million hectares of rice fields in the Papua region to achieve food self-sufficiency, a key policy goal of the president Prabowo.

The project marks a shift in the geographic focus of the government’s food production plans, which previously revolved around the development of large-scale plantations on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, but which now focus on the eastern part of the country.

Also read: New top minister eyes Papua to achieve food self-sufficiency

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Hashim will lead around 570 delegates, representing President Prabowo, who will attend the G20 summit in Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil. The President will also attend the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru.