Astra International Strengthens Prosperous Village Programme in Kemiren

PT Astra International Tbk continues to strengthen community empowerment through the Desa Sejahtera Astra programme in Kemiren Village, Banyuwangi, East Java. Since its inception in 2024, the development programme, which focuses on health, education, environment, and entrepreneurship, has reached around 300 residents, increasing community income while reinforcing the preservation of Osing culture as a tourism attraction and village economic driver. The community of Desa Sejahtera Astra Kemiren consistently preserves Osing culture through various traditions, such as Barong Ider Bumi, Tumpeng Sewu, Gandrung Dance, traditional music, distinctive cuisine, and traditional Osing houses. Astra strengthens this potential through various empowerment programmes so that cultural preservation can go hand in hand with improving the community’s quality of life. In the health sector, Astra supports the strengthening of Posyandu services, the provision of basic health facilities, and public health education. In education, the company strengthens early childhood education services by providing learning facilities, educational toys, and introducing local culture to children. Meanwhile, in the environmental sector, Astra assists the community in waste management, utilising livestock waste into organic fertiliser, developing biogas facilities, and forming environmental awareness groups. In the entrepreneurship sector, Astra encourages the development of a tourism village through strengthening MSMEs, increasing the capacity of the Tourism Awareness Group, developing homestays, and promoting Osing cultural tourism. This empowerment has driven the development of Desa Sejahtera Astra Kemiren. Currently, the village has 50 homestays with a total of 92 rooms, 40 local business operators in the culinary, craft, and coffee sectors, and 40 Tourism Awareness Group members involved in managing the tourism village and preserving Osing culture. The average income of Tourism Awareness Group members has also increased by 33 per cent, from Rp1.5 million to Rp2 million per month. This development shows that culture preserved by the community can grow into a source of livelihood while opening new economic opportunities at the village level. Chief of Corporate Affairs Astra, Boy Kelana Soebroto, stated that Desa Sejahtera Astra Kemiren demonstrates that cultural preservation and community development can go hand in hand. Through strengthening health, education, environment, and entrepreneurship, Astra believes that the Osing cultural heritage is not only preserved but also provides broader benefits for the community through improved quality of life, business opportunities, and sustainable welfare. The community’s consistency in preserving culture and developing its village potential has received appreciation at both national and international levels. Since 2019, the village has received various awards, including Wonderful Indonesia Impact, the Indonesian Tourism Village Award, and the ASEAN Tourism Award 2025. At the international level, Desa Sejahtera Astra Kemiren was also selected as part of The Best Tourism Village Upgrade Programme 2025, further strengthening its position as a sustainable community-based cultural tourism destination. In addition to the Desa Sejahtera Astra programme, Astra, through the Astra Foundation-Yayasan Dharma Bhakti Astra, is mentoring a dragon fruit farming group in the Desa Sejahtera Astra Banyuwangi area, specifically in Sumbermulyo Village. This assistance is provided to the dragon fruit farming group together with the MSME Development Centre, covering strengthening group mentality and organisation, improving organic cultivation competence, improving post-harvest quality according to offtaker standards, and facilitating marketing and financing access. As a result, the farmers successfully obtained Organic Cultivation certification, with total harvests increasing from 316 tonnes in 2021 to 595 tonnes in 2025, while the farming group’s turnover rose from Rp1.9 billion to Rp11.9 billion in the same period. Fresh and processed products from this farming group have penetrated wider markets both domestically and for export to Singapore and Hong Kong. Dragon fruit is not only sold as fresh fruit but also as processed products such as Sale Buah Naga and dehydrated dragon fruit. Astra’s spirit to continue developing villages in collaboration with the community, as in Desa Sejahtera Astra Kemiren, is in line with Astra’s aspiration to prosper together with the nation and support Indonesia’s Sustainable Development Goals.