Minister urges Merangin village heads to implement thematic village programme
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Yandri Susanto has urged village heads from Merangin, Jambi, to implement thematic village programmes.
Speaking during a briefing to 205 village heads from Merangin Regency attending a retreat at the Main Regiment of Military Regional Command III Siliwangi in Bandung on Monday, Minister Yandri said that by running thematic villages, a village can become a supplier of raw materials for the Free Nutritious Meals programme.
“The demand for raw materials for the Free Nutritious Meals programme is very large, so this could be a good economic opportunity,” he said.
The thematic village concept aims to optimise village development according to its potential. For example, a village with tilapia fish potential would be developed into a tilapia-producing village.
By becoming a thematic village, particularly in the food sector, a village can play a role as a supplier of ingredients for the Free Nutritious Meals programme. In this way, the economic benefits of the programme can be felt directly by village communities.
The minister outlined several initiatives. First, the ministry has partnered with the Hakko Fukushikai Foundation from Japan to improve village human resource capacity through scholarships for village youth.
“We have the Youth Build Village, Build Indonesia programme. This is an opportunity for youth from Merangin Regency,” said the former deputy speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly.
Second, the ministry is maximising the development of Village-Owned Enterprises by cooperating with New Hope Fintech from China, which will provide mentoring and empowerment through technology in villages.
“Currently, we have prepared 49 export destination countries,” he said.
Minister Yandri also invited village heads in Merangin to support the success of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative programme, as village communities are the ones who will benefit most from this priority programme.
The minister also mentioned the Integrated Green Economy and Food Self-Sufficiency Programme, known as Sehati, which is a collaboration between the ministry and the World Bank.
“This programme will target 7,000 to 10,000 villages, where each village can receive assistance of up to Rp2.5 billion,” said Minister Yandri.
He encouraged village heads in Merangin to prepare programmes and proposals that are optimally tailored to their village’s potential so they can benefit from the programme.