Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Abdul Halim Iskandar urged village-owned enterprises affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to diversify their business line.
"The main purpose of village-owned enterprises is to consolidate and enhance villagers' economic activities," Minister Halim said in a statement obtained here on Sunday.
The Job Creation Law recognised and protected village-owned enterprises as a legal entity, hence it has a strategic role in the national economy recovery at the village level, the minister said.
Halim made his remarks during his visit to MSMEs and Village-owned Enterprise Expo 2021 in the ministry's training and empowerment centre in Badung District, Bali, on Saturday (Oct 23).
The main purpose of village-owned enterprises development is to improve local people's welfare and at the same time increase village revenue, he added.
The minister reminded that village development must respect local custom and culture, as the main asset of the village and part of the national pride.
"Do not abandon local culture while developing the village as we have to preserve our pride in the culture that has been continued for hundreds of years," Halim said.
Meanwhile, Badung District Regional Secretary I Wayan Adi Arnawa confirmed his district's economy was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Arnawa,the district's dependence on the tourism economy was the main factor behind the decline, and the regional government has addressed the issue by reworking its economic development master plan to diversify regional business sectors and reduce Badung's dependence on the tourism industry.
He expressed hope the ministry could help to expedite economic sector diversification in Badung.
"The training provided by the ministry is beneficial to help village enterprises, who highly dependent on the tourism sector in the past and severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, to diversify their business sector and recover," Arnawa said.
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