Aceh Plans High-Tech Food Hub to Overhaul Fragile Supply Chains

For decades, the economy of Aceh has been inextricably linked to the volatility of the oil and gas sector. Yet, in a significant strategic shift, the province is looking to the soil rather than the drill bit to secure its future.

PEMA’s president director, Mawardi Nur. Source: PEMA

BANDA ACEH — PT Pembangunan Aceh (PEMA), the region’s state-owned enterprise, has unveiled ambitious plans to establish a high-tech food distribution centre designed to insulate local farmers from market shocks and repair the province’s historically fragile supply chains.

The announcement was made by PEMA’s president director, Mawardi Nur, at the opening of the Aceh Economic Development Forum (AEDF) 2025 held at The Pade Hotel on Thursday. Describing the forum as a moment for "concrete action rather than mere discourse", Nur outlined a vision where technology meets traditional agriculture to halt the drain of potential revenue from the region.

For too long, Nur argued, Aceh’s agricultural output has suffered from a lack of technological intervention and adequate knowledge management. This deficit has forced farmers to sell raw commodities at low prices, stripping local produce of its competitiveness in broader markets.

"The food distribution centre will help repair the supply chain and increase product value," Nur said, noting that the primary objective is to see farmers' incomes rise in tandem with these systemic improvements.

The initiative represents a fundamental restructuring of Aceh’s economic foundation. PEMA is explicitly steering the province away from its reliance on non-renewable energy sectors towards sustainable strategic industries. The focus is now squarely on maximising the value of Aceh’s globally recognised commodities, such as Gayo Arabica coffee, nutmeg, and patchouli oil.

While these products have successfully penetrated international markets, the value-added processing has often occurred elsewhere. PEMA intends to repatriate that wealth creation.

"With the presence of PEMA, we want to ensure that processing—based on energy, knowledge, and technology—can be carried out by the sons and daughters of Aceh themselves," Nur insisted.

To support this ecosystem, PEMA is also developing a framework for a 'Business Corridor and Trading Zone'. This strategic zone is intended to function as a logistics and trade hub, specifically engineered to dismantle the economic barriers that have previously stifled growth.

However, Nur was keen to emphasise that this technological overhaul is not an exercise in vanity metrics.

"Our approach is adaptive and comprehensive," he concluded. "We are not chasing numbers, but ensuring that the welfare of the community remains the ultimate goal."