Bandarlampung (ANTARA) – Indonesia launched the National Cassava Center in Lampung Province to foster an enabling ecosystem for the commodity, integrating science, technology, investment, and industries.Lampung Governor Rahmat Mirzani Djausal said in Bandarlampung on Saturday that the center is expected to strengthen research, boost productivity, support downstreaming efforts, and improve cassava farmers’ welfare.“Lampung Province wields strong capital to spearhead national cassava development. Around 70 percent of Indonesia’s cassava output comes from Lampung and provides livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of farmer families,” he said.Djausal added that the development center was created to address the decades-long absence of an integrated facility capable of productively connecting farmers and industries, helping Indonesia catch up with Thailand and Vietnam.“For years, nearly 500,000 cassava farmers in Lampung faced extreme price fluctuations,” he said, noting rounds of demonstrations when prices plunged to about Rp600 (US$0.03) per kilogram.The Lampung government responded by mediating between farmers, industries, and the central government, resulting in a policy restricting cassava imports.“Cassava is now sold for about Rp2,200 per kilogram. This shows that synergy between farmers, industries, and the government delivers direct benefits for the people,” Djausal said.He further noted that the next objective is to boost productivity and competitiveness to secure a stronger foothold in the global supply chain.To that end, he continued, the National Cassava Center was established at the University of Lampung to stimulate innovations in superior varieties, mechanized farming, cultivation technology, and processing cassava into higher-value products.“We must become the world’s number one. Lampung has farmers, lands, and industries; now we are pursuing research. This is time to increase productivity,” he affirmed.He also underscored the importance of leveraging cassava production as a “foundation for strengthening bioeconomy-based industries” while sustainably elevating farmers’ living standards.