Coordinating Minister: Collaboration Key to Strengthening Locally Based Economy

Banyumas (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaising Iskandar, stated that collaboration between stakeholders is the key to strengthening local-based economies and driving community independence through the development of export-based regions.

“More productive collaboration will create an ecosystem capable of nurturing the potential of natural resources and local economic actors, thereby ensuring stronger competitiveness,” he said during the launch of the Pilot Project for the Integrated Community Empowerment Ecosystem Based on Export Areas in Cilongok District, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, on Thursday.

According to him, the programme is designed to build an integrated empowerment ecosystem from upstream to downstream by utilising local potential, particularly in the agricultural, livestock, and export commodity sectors.

Muhaimin noted that collaboration between the government, universities, the business world, and the community is necessary to accelerate the economic transformation of these regions while addressing various obstacles faced by local entrepreneurs.

Consequently, the government is encouraging the utilisation of local resources through various innovations, including the implementation of a circular economy.

“Dependence on imports must be ended. It is certainly not easy to change the pattern of relying on imported goods, but we must begin building independence by utilising the potential we possess,” he said.

He assessed that Indonesia has a significant opportunity to achieve economic independence due to its abundant natural resources. This potential needs to be strengthened through research, innovation, and technological development capable of increasing productivity in the agricultural sector and community enterprises.