Coordinating Minister and BPS Head Praise Ahmad Luthfi's Efforts to Tackle Poverty in Central Java
The steps taken by regents, mayors, and the Governor have been very progressive, aggressive, innovative, and even creative in addressing all poverty issues, particularly extreme poverty,” said Muhaimim in a statement on Friday (4/9/2026).
He made these remarks during the Regional Coordination Meeting for the Optimisation of Poverty Alleviation and the Eradication of Extreme Poverty at Graha Wisata Niaga, Surakarta.
Muhaimin assessed that the leadership of regional heads is the determining factor in the success of these policies. He noted that the Governor plays a strategic role as a provincial-level coordinator to align regional programmes with national policies, ensure data updates, and coordinate regents and mayors.
The government has targeted reducing extreme poverty to zero per cent by 2026 and lowering the overall poverty rate to five per cent by 2029. Consequently, Muhaimin ensured that various regional innovations will be encouraged through central government programmes and cross-sector coordination.
“I will support and assist all programmes from the regents and mayors through cross-sector coordination, in accordance with the priorities of each local leader,” he stated.
Similarly, the Head of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, revealed that poverty reduction in Central Java has been consistent. The poverty rate, which stood at 11.8 per cent in 2021, was successfully reduced to 9.21 per cent over a five-year period.
“If we look at poverty in Central Java, it has been experiencing a decline year after year,” explained Amalia.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Central Java, Ahmad Luthfi, explained that the reduction in poverty in Central Java was not achieved instantly. The Provincial Government implemented a collaborative government approach, involving the central government, regencies, cities, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), Regional Public Service Agencies (BLUD), the business world, universities, and the community.
This approach contributed to lowering the poverty rate in Central Java to 9.21 per cent by March 2026, a decrease of 0.18 points compared to September 2025. This decline resulted in approximately 59,390 residents moving out of poverty.
To accelerate this reduction, Luthfi directed comprehensive interventions for every poor family. This includes housing improvements followed by assessments of health, education, employment, and social protection needs for all family members.
“So, the extreme poor are not only assisted with their housing. Clothing, food, shelter, education, health, and employment are all being addressed together,” Luthfi explained.
Luthfi explained that through the collaboration of various funding sources, approximately 270,000 uninhabitable houses were addressed throughout 2025. Out of approximately 1.2 million families receiving benefits from the Family Hope Program (PKH), 46,542 families have successfully graduated or escaped the cycle of poverty.
Luthfi revealed that strengthening community independence is also supported by job creation. Investment realisation in Central Java in 2025 reached approximately Rp110 trillion, absorbing 257,000 workers.
The Central Java Provincial Government will further strengthen interventions based on regional characteristics, particularly in rural areas. Coastal areas, agricultural zones, drylands, and hilly regions will receive tailored handling to ensure programmes are precisely targeted.
“Our policy (must) shift from just social assistance to sustainable empowerment. This includes ensuring our community has competitiveness related to the potential of their respective regions,” said Luthfi.
Furthermore, for 2026, the Central Java Provincial Government has allocated a budget of approximately Rp2.65 trillion for poverty alleviation.