JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, officially sent off a delegation of 25 Village Heads (Kades) for a study visit focused on rural development in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The send-off ceremony took place at the Operational Room of the Ministry of Villages and PDT, South Jakarta, on Monday (July 13, 2026).

Minister Yandri urged all participating village heads, who serve as delegates for their respective regions, to study earnestly during the trip to broaden their horizons and adopt best rural practices from China so that they can return as benchmark role models for village development across Indonesia.

"I highly hope that you, ladies and gentlemen, will become the trendsetters and guiding references for the villages that did not have the opportunity to go. You must formulate concrete plans during your time there—for instance, setting a clear vision of what to build upon your return. We currently have the SEHATI program, which stands for Green Economic Self-Sufficiency. As mentioned earlier, the scope of a green economy is vast—spanning industrial zones to carbon trading," Minister Yandri explained.

Broadly speaking, Minister Yandri added that this cross-border experience serves as a pivotal milestone that often expands leadership visions, enables more effective rural programming, and inspires tangible transformations to elevate the welfare of rural communities across the homeland.

While in China, Minister Yandri noted, the village heads will observe firsthand how the country successfully revitalized its rural areas through seamless synergy spanning the central government, local village authorities, and cutting-edge technology.

"I hope that you will already have structured programs in mind. If you submit high-quality proposals to the Ministry upon your return, we will provide direct support to your villages so that this trip yields concrete results," Minister Yandri elaborated.

Furthermore, Minister Yandri explained that the benchmarking study would greatly assist village heads in learning how to manage modern Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDesa), ranging from advanced agricultural sectors to state-of-the-art integrated tourism.

Beyond economic aspects, the village heads are scheduled to learn how Chinese villages preserve their local cultural heritage and successfully transform it into lucrative opportunities to boost the local community's economy.

"The knowledge you forge in China will be aligned with affirmative programs at the Ministry. Consequently, you ought to become far more successful, more impactful, and more adaptive than those who did not go," he concluded.

The send-off ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Villages and PDT, Ahmad Riza Patria, alongside various senior officials, including Middle and Primary High-Ranking Officials within the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions.

Photo: Mugi/Kemendes PDT
Text: Dayat/Kemendes PDT