Inspecting Rinca Island, Minister Maman Boosts KUR for Coastal SMEs
East Nusa Tenggara, VIVA – The Minister for Cooperatives and SMEs, Maman Abdurrahman, directly inspected the fishing village in Pasir Panjang Village, Rinca Island, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday, 26 April 2026. During his visit, Minister Maman encouraged the strengthening of the coastal community’s economy through access to financing and empowerment of SMEs.
Around 70 percent of the residents of Pasir Panjang Village on Rinca Island work as fishermen who depend on marine resources for their livelihood.
This area is considered to have great potential for development, particularly in the coastal economy and tourism sectors.
Minister Maman immediately highlighted the importance of expanding access to financing such as Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) so that SME actors in coastal areas can develop and achieve economic independence. He also held direct dialogues with residents, particularly ultra-micro business operators who are mostly women.
“Alhamdulillah, our series of activities in NTT with the NTT Governor and PNM have gone well, including encouraging an increase in KUR fund allocation for the community,” said Minister Maman, quoted from a written statement on Thursday, 30 April 2026.
This potential has attracted the attention of the government and various parties to continue promoting it in order to improve community welfare. Through an empowerment approach, Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) is present to assist coastal communities, especially underprivileged women, in developing ultra-micro businesses.
During his visit, Maman directly reviewed various activities held, covering financial literacy training, business management, and product quality improvement for SME actors. This is aimed at encouraging SME growth and strengthening the people’s economy in the region.
In addition, the community also gained access to education through learning facilities as well as free health check-up services. This approach shows that economic empowerment does not only focus on business aspects but also on the overall quality of life of the community.
Several empowerment activities were also held to support capacity building for the community through training programmes focused on strengthening financial literacy, business management, and product quality improvement. In addition, the community received access to education through community learning spaces and free health services.
It is hoped that the empowerment programmes carried out by PNM can continue to strengthen the economic independence of coastal communities, especially women, and open up broader business opportunities based on local potentials and tourism. The company is also committed to continuing to synergise with central and regional governments in expanding sustainable empowerment access.