The Papua Statistical Centre states the increase in the percentage of poor people on Earth for the last six months is slightly influenced by the scan of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was conveyed by the Head of Social Statistics of the Papua province Bagas Susilo, Thursday.

According to him, he received the tourism sector to decrease its airline passenger transport around 50-60 percent at the end of March 2020, making the percentage of the poor population of Papua increased.

"Including the cancellation of cultural festivals in Papua that affect the decline of foreign tourists and the reduced occupancy of hotel rooms in Papua," he said.

By percentages, Bagas mentions the poor population of Papua to increase 0.09 percent, from 26.55 percent in September 2019 to 26.64 percent in March 2020.

But the percentage of poor people in Papua for urban areas decreased by 0.06 percent points to 4.47 percent by 4.53 percent in September 2019. Only for the rural, up as much as 0.14 percent points to 35.50 percent or 35.36 percent in September 2019.

"This is also because the role of food commodity to the poverty line is greater than the role of non-food commodity, both urban and rural," he said.

Added he, in March 2020, donated food poverty line to the poverty line in the cities amounted to 66.82 percent, while the rural population was 78.89 percent. 

While food commodities have a big effect on the poverty line of Papua Province in urban areas is rice, cigarettes, eggs, fish and chicken.

Meanwhile, food commodities that have a big effect on the poverty line in rural areas are cassava or yam, rice, cigarettes, pork, and chicken.