BANDUNG – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, delivered an orientation address to 205 Village Heads from Merangin Regency, Jambi, participating in a retreat at the Siliwangi 3rd Military Regional Command Regiment Training Center (Rindam III/Siliwangi), Bandung, on Monday (August 24, 2026).

Minister Yandri highlighted that Kemendes PDT continues to forge multi-stakeholder collaborations utilizing non-state budget (APBN) funding sources.

First, Kemendes PDT has partnered with the Hakko Fukushikai Foundation from Japan to build rural human resource (HR) capacity by providing international scholarships to village youth.

"We have launched the 'Youth Building Villages, Building Indonesia' program, which represents a prime opportunity for young people from Merangin Regency," Minister Yandri stated.

Kemendes PDT is also maximizing the potential of Village-Owned Enterprises (BUM Desa) by partnering with China’s New Hope Fintech to provide technical assistance and empowerment backed by advanced technological systems.

Through its priority framework "Build the Village, Build Indonesia," Kemendes PDT is accelerating the development of Export Villages (Desa Ekspor), tailored to each village's unique local commodities.

"Currently, we have secured access to 49 Export Destination Countries," Minister Yandri noted.

Village Heads in Merangin were also urged to establish Food Security Thematic Villages (Desa Tematik Ketahanan Pangan) aligned with their respective local resource potentials.

These thematic villages will directly support the national Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program by serving as primary suppliers of raw food materials.

"The demand for raw materials under the MBG program is massive, presenting an exceptional economic opportunity for rural areas," Minister Yandri explained.

Furthermore, Minister Yandri invited Merangin Village Heads to drive the success of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative (KDMP) program, emphasizing that rural communities stand to benefit most directly from this priority initiative.

Minister Yandri also detailed the Green Economy Self-Sufficiency and Integrated Food Security (SEHATI) Program, a collaborative initiative between Kemendes PDT and the World Bank.

"This program targets 7,000 to 10,000 villages, where eligible villages can secure funding grants of up to IDR 2.5 billion each," Minister Yandri stated.

He encouraged Merangin Village Heads to draft optimal development programs and proposals tailored to their village potentials to participate in the program.

Following his address, Minister Yandri held an interactive discussion with the village heads, addressing queries regarding the KDMP initiative and the operational details of Export Villages.

The event was attended by the Regent of Merangin HM Syukur, Commander of Rindam III/Siliwangi Brig. Gen. Nurul Yakin, alongside officials from the Merangin Regency Government and Rindam III/Siliwangi.

Accompanying Minister Yandri were Director General of Economic Development and Investment (PEID) Tabrani, Head of the Information Development Agency (BPI) Mulyadin Malik, Head of the Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM) Agustomi Masik, Special Staff to the Minister Fahad Attamimi, and Ministerial Advisor Yusuf.

Photo: Andri/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Firman/Kemendes PDT