"Without the rules of village heads, the economy would not rise and the people would not be able to become self-sufficient," the minister stated during a Workshop and National Gathering of All Indonesian Village Heads in South Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday.
The minister said his office, under the directives of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), has made various breakthroughs over the past four years, including reducing food inflation.
Moreover, Sulaiman claimed to have lifted 291 agriculture minister`s regulations considered to have posed constraints to agricultural development.
The minister reminded the village heads attending the gathering that if the country`s food resilience was disturbed, it would also affect the national resilience.
"If the village heads move together, Indonesia will become glorious and a superpower," the minister affirmed.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Regional Representative Council Oesman Sapta Oedang noted that 2018 is the year of resurgence of villages.
"If all villages become prosperous, Indonesia too will be prosperous," Oedang noted.
Earlier, President Jokowi had reminded that the Village Fund Program should improve the welfare of villagers in line with the increasing turnover in rural areas.
"Our aspiration is to boost money circulation in the village, and the well-being of rural communities will increase rapidly," President Jokowi remarked during a speech on the Development Policy Evaluation, Village Community Empowerment and Socialization of Priority Use of Village Funds in 2019 at the Palembang Sport and Convention Center, South Sumatra, on Sunday (Nov 25).
Reporting by Muhammad Razi Rahman
Editing by Rahmad Nasution
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
