Desa BISA Ekspor Program Ready to Become Indonesia’s Export Locomotive

Jembrana, September 9, 2025 – Minister of Trade Budi Santoso led the launch of the Desa Berani Inovasi, Siap Adaptasi (BISA) Ekspor Program in Jembrana Regency, Bali, on Tuesday (9/9). Minister Santoso emphasized that the Desa BISA Ekspor initiative is a collaborative movement between the government and the private sector to position villages as the driving force of Indonesia’s exports. By leveraging the potential of local flagship products, the program is expected to deliver tangible prosperity for rural communities.

“Today, we are joining forces to launch the Desa BISA Ekspor Program. Export success cannot be achieved alone—it requires close collaboration among government, the private sector, cooperatives, and communities. Together, let us empower villages to become the driving force of Indonesia’s exports,” said Minister Santoso.

Minister Santoso stressed that Desa BISA Ekspor is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, the Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia Eximbank (LPEI), Astra, and other relevant stakeholders.

The program integrates several government initiatives already in place, including the UMKM BISA Ekspor Program from the Ministry of Trade, the Desa Ekspor Program from the Ministry of Villages, the Desa Organik Program from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Desa Devisa Program from LPEI, and the Desa Sejahtera Program from Astra. In the future, the Fishermen’s Village Program by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the Red-and-White Village Cooperative Program (KDMP) are also expected to join.

By September 2025, the government and strategic partners had mapped 2,357 villages into two clusters: 741 villages categorized as export-ready (Cluster 1) and 1,616 villages requiring assistance to become export-ready (Cluster 2).

“The Ministry of Trade, together with the Ministry of Villages, the Ministry of Agriculture, LPEI, and Astra, have mapped 2,357 villages. Of these, 741 are classified as export-ready, while the rest need further guidance. Support will be provided through training, business clinics, and aggregator facilitation from SOEs and the private sector,” Minister Santoso explained.

For export-ready villages, promotional measures have been implemented, such as integrating data from 15 exporters and aggregators into the Ministry of Trade’s INAEXPORT platform to connect with foreign buyers, facilitating business pitching between 31 exporters and Indonesia’s trade representatives abroad, and arranging business matching between two village exporters and buyers from India and Australia.

Meanwhile, villages requiring further development will receive intensive assistance to strengthen their export ecosystems. This includes improving product quality and quantity, building human resource capacity, expanding market access, securing financing, and providing tailored support based on each village’s needs.

As part of the initiative, the Desa BISA Ekspor Logo was unveiled. The logo combines two elements: TUNESA (Tunas Desa or “Village Sprout”), symbolizing villages as seeds with strong growth potential, and ANYASA (Anyaman Desa or “Village Weave”), symbolizing strong interconnectedness among villages, businesses, government, private sector, and global partners within one collaborative ecosystem.

Additionally, the Desa BISA Ekspor Dashboard was launched to showcase commodity data from villages across Indonesia. Continuously updated, the dashboard ensures accurate and transparent supply information, serving as an essential reference for businesses, aggregators, government, and village mentors.

The launch was attended by Deputy Minister of Villages Ahmad Riza Patria, Director General of National Export Development (DJPEN) at the Ministry of Trade Fajarini Puntodewi, Director General of Domestic Trade Iqbal Shoffan Shofwan, Inspector General of the Ministry of Trade Putu Jayan Danu Putra, Secretary General of the Ministry of Villages Taufik Madjid, Director General of Regional Economic Development and Investment Tabrani, Deputy Governor of Bali I Nyoman Giri Prasta, Regent of Jembrana I Made Kembang Hartawan, Deputy Regent I Gede Ngurah Patriana Krisna, Acting Executive Director of LPEI Sukatmo Padmosukarso, and Astra’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Diah Suran Febrianti.

Deputy Minister of Villages Ahmad Riza Patria, in his remarks, highlighted that there are currently more than 55,941 active Village-Owned Enterprises (BUM Desa) and over 80,000 KDMPs managing a wide range of businesses, including trade, agriculture, livestock, renewable energy, creative industries, tourism, logistics, and public services.

According to him, BUM Desa and KDMPs are the backbone of rural economies. If managed properly, they can serve as an inclusive and equitable driver of national growth. “Today, we launch Desa BISA Ekspor, a collaborative initiative that has mapped more than 2,300 villages into categories of export-ready and those needing further assistance,” said Riza.

Cooperation Agreement to Empower Villages

On this occasion, a Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Villages, and LPEI on village empowerment for national export development. The agreement was signed by DJPEN Director General Fajarini Puntodewi, Director General of Regional Economic Development and Investment at the Ministry of Villages Tabrani, and LPEI Acting Executive Director Sukatmo Padmosukarso.

The agreement covers several strategic areas: data and information exchange among institutions as the basis for export-oriented village development, village export mapping and clustering according to established guidelines, and the designation of pilot villages as models for Desa BISA Ekspor development.

The three institutions will also facilitate village development through four pillars: strengthening export capabilities, promoting products in global markets, expanding access to financing, and enhancing logistics, supply chains, and digitalization. They also agreed to encourage marketing partnerships within the village export ecosystem and to open space for other relevant activities to support export development.

Sukatmo explained that Desa BISA Ekspor builds upon the Desa Devisa Program initiated by the Ministry of Finance through LPEI since 2019. The pilot project, Desa Devisa Kakao Jembrana, has involved 13 villages and 609 farmers, including women farmers, focusing on fermented cocoa beans. These products have successfully entered markets in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, and Australia.

“Desa Devisa Kakao Jembrana is now officially collaborating with various ministries and institutions for ongoing support to strengthen its global presence. Through cross-ministerial synergy, local governments, and strategic partners, LPEI is committed to ensuring its assisted villages enhance production while sustainably expanding global market access. The benefits go beyond export growth to include building a sustainable export ecosystem, empowering villages, creating jobs, and improving community welfare,” said Sukatmo.

Village Export Product Shipment

The program launch also featured a symbolic export release from LPEI-assisted villages. Desa Devisa Kakao Jembrana shipped fermented cocoa worth IDR 2.4 billion to France, Desa Devisa Benih Bandeng Buleleng exported milkfish fry worth IDR 45 million to the Philippines, and Desa Devisa Benih Hortikultura Bali exported fruits, vegetables, and flowers worth IDR 6 million to Singapore.

“Today, we can be proud that several villages have successfully exported their products. This is an important milestone and we hope to see even greater achievements in the future,” said Minister Santoso.

Meanwhile, Kerta Semaya Samaniya (KSS) Cooperative Advisor Agung Widiastuti stated that the cooperative has been assisting cocoa farmers in Jembrana to improve production quality, particularly fermented cocoa beans. This effort has successfully opened access to various export markets.

“This achievement cannot be separated from the Ministry of Trade’s crucial role as facilitator, especially through Indonesia’s Trade Attachés, who serve as vital bridges to global markets,” said Agung.

She added that KSS has established collaboration with world-renowned chocolate producer Valrhona in France. Export regulatory challenges faced earlier were resolved with full support from Indonesia’s Trade Attaché in Paris. “This success demonstrates how synergy between local cooperatives and the government can elevate Jembrana’s cocoa potential to the international stage,” Agung concluded.