REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PADANG -- The provincial government of West Sumatra (Sumbar) is targeting zero percent of the extreme poverty rate by 2024 through various policy efforts or interventions. “By 2024, the Sumbar Provincial Government is targeting the extreme poverty rate in the Sumbar region to be zero percent,” Sumbar Provincial Governor Mahyeldi said in Padang on Tuesday (9/1/2024).

In general, the governor continued, rates of extreme poverty have decreased. According to data from the Central Statistical Agency (BPS) as of March 2023, extreme poverty in Sumbar fell from 0.77 percent (43,671 inhabitants) to 0.41 percent (23,253 inhabitants).

“This decrease rate is the third highest in Sumatra along with Jambi Province. Nationally Sumbar is one of 20 provinces whose extreme poverty has decreased,” he said.

Regarding the income gap, the governor said the inequality between the lower middle economy and the upwardly mobile economy is not very significant. This can be seen based on the percentage of the gini ratio of 0.280 percent.

“Sumbar's gini ratio is the third lowest in Indonesia. So, there was no significant inequality of people's incomes during Mahyeldi-Audy's leadership,” he said.

Then, for the Human Development Index (IPM) Sumbar also saw a rise from 73.26 percent in 2022 to 75.46 percent in 2023. Nationally, IPM in the Minang Realm shows a positive trend, namely from the ninth to the seventh position.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Sumbar Suwirpen Suib continued to encourage local authorities to maximize the agricultural sector in order to reduce unemployment. Moreover, about 52 percent of Sumbar residents hang their living on agriculture.

“Agriculture has a strategic role in reducing poverty rates. Agricultural aid must be channelled appropriately to increase farmers' production so that farmers' selling value is much more viable in order to sustain them,” he said.

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