Minister of Trade (Mendag) Budi Santoso said as many as 700 villages in Indonesia were ready to export their products to a number of countries.
"We mapped thousands of villages that have export potential. Of the thousands, currently 700 villages are ready to export," said the Trade Minister when releasing fermented cocoa exports to France from Jembrana Regency, Bali, Tuesday, September 9.
He said to grow exports from villages, the government launched the Bisa Export Village program which is the development of the Foreign Exchange Village initiated by the Ministry of Finance.
To run the Village program, he said, a number of ministries, namely the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Villages, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI) collaborated.
"There are also private parties including banks that support this program. We open wide access for exports of village products," he said again.
According to him, for villages that are ready, his party facilitates international buyers through trade representatives in 33 countries.
As for villages that are not ready, but have potential, his party helps with training, design assistance and product standardization.
In order to be able to compete in the export market, he said, downstreaming of village products must be carried out so that it has added value.
"Global markets are wide and diverse. There are segments for raw, semi-finished, and finished products. We will help villages to be able to enter the finished product market, although gradually," he also said.
Deputy Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Ahmad Riza Patria who was also present said that villages in Indonesia have great potential in the agricultural, cultural and innovative products sectors.
According to him, the central government will continue to support villages, including in terms of financing if needed.
He also said that all programs should be carried out with 3T principles, namely Best, Most, and Fastest according to President Prabowo Subianto's message.
"We must not relax. Village products must be of the best quality, in large quantities, and quickly enter the market. This will open up jobs, improve the village economy, and ultimately prosper the community," he said.
The Regent of Jembrana I Made Kembang Hartawan said that his party is committed to continuing to assist the village community in order to be able to compete at the national and international levels.
The Village Program Bisa Export, he said, is one of the strategic steps to encourage the development of a local potential-based populist economy.
"With a strong synergy between the central government, regional and private sectors, it is hoped that Jembrana can become one of the pioneers of high competitive export villages in the global market," he also said.
In Jembrana Regency, this program involved 13 villages with 609 farmers, who on this occasion export fermented cocoa worth more than Rp 12 billion to France.
Apart from France, Jembrana fermented cocoa also penetrates the market in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, and Australia.
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