JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, attended the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) for the Acceleration of National Priority Work Programs (PKPN) in the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sector, held at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Ballroom, Mina Bahari III Building, on Thursday (July 2, 2026).

President Prabowo Subianto has positioned villages as active subjects of development, as explicitly outlined in the 6th Asta Cita (Aspiration): "Building from the Village and from the Bottom-Up for Economic Equality and Poverty Eradication." To manifest this vision, the Ministry has established the "12 Strategic Actions to Build Villages, Build Indonesia," with Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDesa) serving as a vital component.

"The number of BUMDesa currently exceeds 45,000, with business operations focused on Thematic Villages across food, agriculture, and marine sectors," Minister Yandri stated.

The Merah Putih Village Cooperative (KDMP) is also embedded within these 12 priority programs, utilizing Village Funds for its deployment. The KDMP is likened to a small candle lighting up the village, under the philosophy that to illuminate Indonesia, a single large torch at Monas is insufficient; rather, it requires small candles shining brightly across every village.

Minister Yandri further noted that he has enacted Ministerial Regulation (Permendesa) No. 1 of 2024, which mandates allocating 20 percent of Village Funds to support food security. This policy has driven the rise of numerous Thematic Villages, particularly those focused on freshwater aquaculture, such as tilapia and catfish farming.

"We extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries for their continuous mentorship of our programs. Currently, nearly 1,000 BUMDesa have become official suppliers of raw materials for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program," Minister Yandri revealed.

Minister Yandri expressed his hope for affirmative action regarding BUMDesa so that more of them can act as raw material suppliers for the MBG program via the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), allowing them to become primary economic players at the village level. Through Thematic Villages—such as Catfish Villages, Tilapia Fish Villages, and Egg-Laying Poultry Villages—rural areas stand fully prepared to become the backbone of the government’s current priority supply chain.

Collaborating with the World Bank, the Ministry has launched the Green Economy Self-Sufficiency and Integrated Food Security (SEHATI) Program. Minister Yandri explained that this initiative will target 7,000 to 10,000 villages, with each eligible village receiving up to IDR 2.5 billion in assistance.
"One of our main targets is Fishing Villages. We will mobilize freshwater aquaculture, which may potentially include seaweed cultivation," Minister Yandri said.

Driven by this collaboration with the KKP, a village in Pandeglang, operating through its BUMDesa, has successfully exported fish overseas. Specifically, Bandung Village has exported Mas Nyonya carp to Vietnam, while Kertasana Village has successfully exported Koi Mas carp to Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, generating billions of rupiah in annual revenue.

"With the Octahelix collaboration being championed by the Ministry, we are highly confident that President Prabowo's Asta Cita can be fully realized, because we are a 'Super Team,' not Superman," Minister Yandri asserted.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, stated that for this fiscal year, the Central Government is shifting its focus toward achieving self-sufficiency in fish protein, following the successful realization of carbohydrate self-sufficiency.

"This year, the focus is strictly on fish protein, spanning both wild-caught marine fish and aquaculture," stated the minister, affectionately known as Zulhas.

Zulhas explained that self-sufficiency in carbohydrates like rice and corn has already been achieved, prompting the government to narrow its focus toward fish protein.

He further elaborated that achieving self-sufficiency in aquaculture and wild-caught fisheries will be driven by reforming fisheries governance, particularly within coastal communities. One such effort includes the establishment of the Merah Putih Fishing Villages (KNMP).

Zulhas noted that these dedicated villages will comprehensively accommodate the needs of local fishermen by providing ice factories, cold storage facilities, auction halls, and other essential infrastructure.

The high-profile meeting was also attended by the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Chairwoman of Commission IV of the House of Representatives (DPR) Siti Hediati, Vice Minister of Home Affairs Ahmad Wiyagus, alongside Governors and Regents from across Indonesia.

Accompanying Minister Yandri at the event were the Director General of Village Economic Development and Investment (PEID) Tabrani and the Director General of Village and Rural Development Nugroho Setijo Nagoro.

Foto: Didi/Kemendes PDT 
Teks: Firman/Kemendes PDT