Jakarta, June 4 -- The economic potential of Indonesia's rural areas represents a pillar of real economic strength capable of sustaining national economic growth and stability, Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Arif Satria said on Thursday.

Speaking at the BRIN Goes to Villages event in Jakarta, Satria stressed that strengthening rural economies is a prerequisite for Indonesia to achieve its ambition of becoming one of the world's four largest economies between 2045 and 2075.

"Why the rural economy? Because the rural economy is not a footloose industry. A footloose industry is one that is not closely linked to local resources," he said.

To achieve that goal, Satria said economic development in rural areas must ...