“Villages are the basis and the starting point where farming and MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) products are made,” the ministry’s director general of economic development and investment in villages, development of disadvantaged regions, and transmigration Harlina Sulistyorini said.
She made the remarks on the sidelines of National Village-owned Enterprises Day in Teluk Bakau here on Thursday.
As the majority of production resources, including materials, land, and manpower, are centered in villages, they have a strategic position in the main national products’ manufacturing ecosystem, she pointed out.
The official said that Singosari BUMDesma, a joint village-owned enterprise (BUMDesma) in Malang district, East Java, is preparing to export its pilot batch of orchid plant products to Thailand.
To support the village-based enterprise’s orchid product exports, Sulistyorini said that her ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and communities of orchid enthusiasts.
“The BUMDesma must have an orchid certificate to enable its export. Thailand does have some orchid species, but their number is minuscule compared with ours,” the director general expounded.
She expressed the hope that Singosari BUMDesma’s success in entering the regional market through the exports, which are expected next March or April, would motivate other village enterprises to achieve the same feat.
Other village-made products with export market potential are coffee, vanilla, and candlenut, Sulistyorini informed.
She also urged other village-owned enterprises to complete their legal documentation, such as obtaining their business identification numbers (NIBs) from the Ministry of Investment/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).
Earlier, Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar, said that the position of village-owned enterprises has been enhanced by their inclusion in the Investment Ministry-operated Online Single Submission (OSS) system.
“Praise be to God, on February 1, 2023, (village-owned enterprises) are officially included in the system. The existence and legality of village-owned enterprises will be stronger constitutionally,” he remarked.
Related news: Minister asks BUMDes, BUMDesma to support villagers' businesses
Related news: Villages should possess data management, utilization capabilities: BPS
Related news: Regional heads urged to focus more on tourism villages' development
Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
