This was conveyed by the ministry’s Director General of Disadvantaged Regions Development Acceleration Samsul Widodo while opening a dissemination of information on business opportunities in natural-dye paste for woven and batik textiles monitored online here on Monday.
He expounded that the government programs that can be leveraged by villages to boost development and economy include food security, energy security, Free Nutritious Meals, and Red and White Village Cooperatives programs.
Furthermore, Widodo underlined that from 2015 to 2025, the total amount of village funds disbursed to villages has reached more than Rp681 trillion (approximately US$41.5 billion), with Rp71 trillion allocated per year.
The funds, he said, must be utilized optimally by all parties in villages as the main driving force of village industrialization.
Earlier, Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Minister Yandri Susanto expressed optimism that the sixth Asta Cita goal of President Prabowo Subianto, namely carrying out development from villages for economic equity, can be achieved if all villages support the government programs.
He noted that, as an example, village governments should monitor the Free Nutritious Meals program implementation given its potential to offer large benefits to villages, such as opportunities to become the raw material suppliers.
The minister emphasized that villages should not only become spectators or beneficiaries of the government programs but must also play an active role in making the programs a success.
As part of efforts to strengthen the village economy, the Indonesian government has initiated the Red and White Village Cooperatives program with around 80 thousand village cooperatives inaugurated by President Prabowo last July.
The cooperatives are envisaged as hubs of economic and social services in village communities, offering savings, loans, and clinic services, among others.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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