Astra Targets Villages as New Centres of Economic Growth

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Astra’s Chief of Corporate Affairs, Boy Kelana Soebroto, is targeting rural areas as new centres of economic growth through the development of integrated flagship commodities from upstream to downstream. “Astra views villages not merely as objects of empowerment, but as new centres of economic growth,” Boy stated in a comment received in Jakarta on Tuesday. Through the development of integrated flagship commodities from upstream to downstream, he continued, Astra aims to ensure that communities are not only able to produce but also possess competitiveness and sustainable market access. Therefore, Astra continues to promote rural communities’ economic independence through the development of local flagship commodities via the Astra Prosperous Village programme, which is implemented in various regions across Indonesia. By 2025, the Astra Prosperous Village programme has reached 1,533 villages in 180 districts throughout Indonesia, with an average income increase for communities of 56.85% and the creation of more than 3,700 new jobs. In addition, 492 villages have successfully penetrated export markets to 26 countries with a total valuation of around Rp411 billion. Furthermore, Boy conveyed that Astra is involved in the Impactful Campus Collaboration through a one village one CEO (OVOC) approach, which is a programme for developing a village business ecosystem from upstream to downstream based on local flagship products, implemented on Friday (24/4/2016) in the Astra Prosperous Village of West Bandung Regency. The local community is developing horticultural commodities such as watercress, pumpkin, tomatoes, Kenyan beans, chillies, red cabbage, and paprika, supported by enhancements in production capacity, harvest quality, and market access expansion, with optimal product absorption rates. Through the Astra Prosperous Village programme in West Bandung, farmers have experienced an income increase from Rp1.2 million to Rp2.5 million per month. Additionally, Astra has provided guidance in the Astra Prosperous Village of North Lombok since 2019 and has involved 432 community members from 16 villages through comprehensive training from cultivation to post-harvest, agricultural product processing, product certification, to strengthening production facilities. Through this process, the community develops flagship commodities such as porang, sorghum, candlenut, cashews, moringa, and chillies as drivers of village economy, which also encourages an income increase for the community from below Rp1 million to around Rp3 million per month and opens new job opportunities. “Astra’s spirit in supporting village community empowerment aligns with Astra’s aspiration for Shared Prosperity with the Nation and supports the achievement of Indonesia’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Boy.