SEMARANG – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, praised the achievements of Tuntang Village, Tuntang District, Semarang Regency, for successfully capitalizing on its local potential. These achievements include catfish aquaculture, melon cultivation, and bolstering food security through goat farming.

The cultivated melons were successfully harvested and marketed to meet the fruit needs of local residents, as was the case with the farmed catfish. Minister Yandri expressed optimism that villages can progress toward self-reliance if village heads, along with their apparatus and residents, compete to manage and add value to every village potential.

"The BUMDes is extraordinary for its utilization of the village fund. Tuntang Village highly deserves to serve as a role model for other villages in Indonesia because it utilizes the village fund in accordance with the programs of the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions," he said in praise of the Village Head, Muhamad Nadhirin, in front of Tuntang residents on Sunday (May 24, 2026).

The melon and catfish cultivation by the "Tuntang Sejahtera" Village-Owned Enterprise (BUMDesa) was realized using the village fund. This initiative, combined with other local revenue streams, contributed to a total village income reaching IDR 1.6 billion in 2026. This success serves as concrete evidence that properly managed village funds yield substantial benefits for rural development.

Among these initiatives is the development of thematic villages, which form part of the Ministry's 12 Strategic Action Plans. Moving forward, these local products will be directed toward international trade, ensuring that both their economic value and market reach expand. This trajectory, Minister Yandri noted, is the result of cross-sectoral collaborations between the Ministry, various line ministries/agencies (K/L), and both domestic and international stakeholders.

"There is high global demand for ginger, coffee, bananas, potatoes, and shallots. We just need to map out which areas will become export villages, given that there are 59 countries ready to purchase Indonesian village products," he stated.

The initial capital for melon, catfish, and goat farming—which constitute the village's food security framework—was allocated from the mandated 20 percent portion of the village fund and has proven highly beneficial to the community. This success must be replicated by other villages based on their respective superior commodities, whether in agriculture, livestock, tourism, industry, or other sectors.

Furthermore, Tuntang Village has completed the construction of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative office, which stands ready to supply staple goods to meet the needs of the surrounding community. Crucially, this establishment is designed not to stifle local MSMEs, which continue to grow and were directly inspected by Minister Yandri during his working visit, accompanied by the Director General of PEID, Tabrani.

Photo: Sigit/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Ria/Kemendes PDT