“There are already 338 export villages, with a transaction value nearing Rp1 trillion (around US$56 million),” Villages Minister Yandi Susanto remarked after the MoU signing in Jakarta on Thursday.
He explained that the institutions share a commitment to guiding village leaders, officials, and residents to develop and market valuable products capable of penetrating global markets.
“Village-sourced products must be safe. We cannot afford to downplay the importance of certification and parameters that determine the acceptability of our commodities in destination countries,” Susanto pointed out.
He added that the commitment would be translated into a cooperation agreement set for signing within one month in a village to be designated as a pilot project site.
“Perhaps it will be in a district in West Java. We will reveal the exact location later,” the minister stated.
Barantin Head Abdul Kadir Karding underlined the upcoming collaboration as a concrete step toward boosting trade and involving more villages in export transactions.
He argued that undermining the potential of villages could hinder national economic growth, citing their significant contributions through agricultural, fisheries, and livestock commodities.
Indonesia, he continued, is home to about 75,000 villages, 64,000 village-owned enterprises, and thousands of village cooperatives that can help stimulate economic activity.
Bearing that in mind, Karding asserted that realizing the 5,000-export-village target would be too tough a challenge without efforts to empower leaders of villages that produce key export commodities.
He added that Barantin and the ministry would launch pilot projects in selected villages to strengthen their capacity to meet export standards and requirements as part of efforts to achieve the target.
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Translator: Aria Ananda, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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