JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, received an audience from the Regent of Garut, Abdusy Syakur Amin, and his delegation at the Ministry's office in Jakarta, Tuesday (May 12, 2026).

During the meeting, Regent Abdusy Syakur Amin reported on several pressing issues in Garut Regency, ranging from high poverty rates to low education levels.

According to the Regent, the regency, which has a population of 2.8 million, faces a significant poverty challenge, with approximately 1.6 million residents falling into the Decile 1-5 categories. Furthermore, the average length of schooling in the region currently stands at only 7.86 years.

To address these challenges, the Regent plans to maximize existing village potentials in Garut through the development of thematic villages, tourism villages, and other empowerment initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and improving educational outcomes. He sought the audience with Minister Yandri to ensure these potentials are fully leveraged through synergy with the Ministry.

"In the agricultural sector, we have potential in chili, corn, and other crops. Regarding tourism, we have tea plantations that we will promote to become tourism villages," said Abdusy Syakur.

In response, Minister Yandri Susanto expressed his commitment to supporting the optimization of village potentials in Garut. He suggested that the tourism and thematic villages be further directed toward becoming export-oriented villages.

Minister Yandri further noted that maximizing village potential would drive economic growth, which in turn would naturally lead to a decrease in poverty rates.

"We discussed various thematic villages today—chili, lemongrass, onion, and corn villages, among others. The core point is that if we manage our villages well, prosperity will follow. That is how we will suppress poverty rates, especially for those in Deciles 1 through 5," the Minister stated.

"We have discussed this, and God willing, the villages in Garut will become a priority for the Ministry's programs. We will be present in Garut, and I am confident that Garut will become extraordinary and a source of pride for all of us," Minister Yandri added.

Accompanying Minister Yandri in the meeting were the Director General of PEID Tabrani, the Head of BPSDM Agustomi Masik, the Head of BPI Mulyadin Malik, and the Minister's Special Staff, Muhammad Khoirul Huda.

Foto: Sigit/Kemendes PDT 
Teks: Rifqi/Kemendes PDT