Poor villages given access to market

YOGYAKARTA: Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Aburizal Bakrie signed on Thursday night a Memorandum of Understanding with eight state university rectors for a network to build infrastructure in poor villages.

The five-year village infrastructure program is expected to cost up to US$150 billion. Aburizal said the government could only provide $25 billion, while the remainder is expected to come from private sectors donations.

Aburizal said the program would provide villages with access to markets for their agricultural products, thereby assisting to reduce poverty. -- JP