Central Java Governor: IJD Programme Boosts Economy from Villages to Cities

Pati (ANTARA) - Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi revealed that the Presidential Instruction on Regional Roads (IJD) assistance in Central Java, which prioritises connectivity for economic routes and links to tourist destinations, has succeeded in fostering economic growth from villages to cities. “The IJD assistance will help districts, cities, and the province, in line with the President’s instruction to cultivate new economic growth from rural to urban areas,” he said while attending the online inauguration of the IJD assistance from the Pendopo of Pati Regency on Tuesday. The inauguration of the IJD assistance was conducted online by President Prabowo Subianto from Sampang, East Java. Based on data, the 2025 fiscal year IJD assistance in Central Java comprises 30 packages of regional road works. The total length is 132.54 kilometres with a budget of Rp493.28 billion. These packages are spread across 19 regencies and cities. Blora Regency received the largest allocation for IJD handling in Central Java, covering 20.81 kilometres with a total budget of Rp93.21 billion. He noted that the IJD assistance greatly aids road development in the province. Seeing the impact of road handling through the IJD, Central Java Province has proposed handling 36.30 kilometres of roads and 249.70 metres of bridges for 2026. If approved, construction is planned for the 2027 fiscal year. “Next time we will add more. Our development roadmap for 2027 is tourism, prioritising roads to tourist areas, tourist villages, and new economic potentials,” he stressed. On that occasion, Ahmad Luthfi also instructed the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency to continuously monitor and review road condition stability. “In 2026, the stability condition of provincial roads in Central Java must return to 94 percent. At the beginning of the year, it had declined due to prolonged rain,” he said. Blora Regent Arief Rohman conveyed that for the 2025 fiscal year, Blora received IJD assistance worth Rp93 billion. Thanks to this assistance, roads in border areas and between sub-districts have significantly improved. Another benefit is the economic impact in areas receiving IJD. Previously isolated areas are now accessible. Additionally, the increase in the sales value of tax objects has boosted locally-generated revenue. “Going forward, we have been asked to propose again for areas that are bases for food security and tourism to receive IJD,” he said. Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto stated that the 2025 fiscal year IJD is handling 1,151 kilometres of roads across 37 provinces in Indonesia. These roads are very useful for distributing farmers’ harvests, plantation products, fisheries, and various other products from villages to markets, distribution centres, and industrial areas. Conversely, goods from various regions also reach the villages. “No region should be left behind simply because of limited access. Connectivity between production centres and residential areas will also reduce distribution costs,” he said.