JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, is synergizing with the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, to alleviate extreme poverty. Both leaders are committed to a strategy of orchestration and collaboration to ensure the success of programs at the central, provincial, regency, and village levels.

This partnership includes engaging companies across various sectors, universities, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities and transform them into high-value assets. Given NTB's natural beauty and fertile land, food security and the management of tourism villages are among the top-priority potentials.

“We will intervene in tourism villages alongside the Governor and Regents. I agree with the Governor's concept of orchestration and collaboration. We have approximately 500 partner companies that we will require to foster village development,” said Minister Yandri during an audience with Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal at the Ministry of Villages office in Jakarta, Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

“We are focusing on increasing economic income. We will provide targeted interventions for tourism villages, including food security initiatives,” he added.

To reduce extreme poverty, the Governor of NTB is utilizing independent assistants funded by the provincial budget. The process begins with data verification to prevent errors in aid distribution and program selection, followed by sustained maintenance in the following years.

Furthermore, these independent assistants will collaborate with existing village assistants (pendamping desa) who work directly with the community. The hope is that the Empowered Village Program (Program Desa Berdaya)—which aims to alleviate extreme poverty, strengthen the local economy, and achieve village self-sufficiency through the optimization of local potential—reaches all citizens in the target category.

"We are orchestrating this according to specific needs to ensure it reaches the villages. We have two levels of intervention: first, at the household level (per-KK), and second, at the village level," stated Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal.

In addition to focusing on extreme poverty, another vital initiative for the people of NTB is the realization of Thematic Villages. This effort is intended not only to ensure food security but also to enable villages to become suppliers for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and to ensure that Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (KDMP) function at their maximum capacity.

Foto: Reza/Kemendes PDT 
Teks: Ria/Kemendes PDT