BALINEWSID.COM, KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara — Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Ribka Haluk has urged the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provincial government to strengthen innovation and maximize the region’s natural and economic potential to support growth and improve public welfare.

Haluk said NTT has significant potential in various sectors, including culture, natural resources, marine resources, agriculture, and tourism. As an archipelagic province, she said, NTT has considerable maritime potential that can be further developed through innovation tailored to local conditions.

“Certainly, we want economic growth. For NTT itself, we can see that its economic growth this quarter has been very good,” Haluk said while leading a morning assembly at the NTT Governor’s Office in Kupang on Monday (Sept. 21, 2026).

Haluk called on local governments not to view geographical and environmental limitations as obstacles to development. Instead, she encouraged regional authorities to turn those challenges into opportunities by developing innovations suited to the characteristics of each area.

She particularly highlighted the agricultural sector, urging relevant government agencies to continue developing new approaches to strengthen agricultural production in NTT.

Haluk pointed to examples of countries that have successfully developed agriculture in previously arid areas, saying such experiences demonstrate the importance of innovation in overcoming environmental challenges.

“This requires innovation to determine how we can plant crops that are able to survive in dry conditions,” she said.

Beyond agriculture, Haluk also emphasized the potential of tourism to contribute to regional economic growth. She said tourism development should be designed to ensure that local communities benefit from the sector.

“We must ensure that the tourism sector can have a positive impact on the community,” Haluk stressed.

According to Haluk, accelerating economic growth in NTT will require cooperation between the government bureaucracy and the business sector. Local governments, she said, need to create an environment that supports investment while maximizing the region’s economic potential.

She stressed that NTT’s natural, cultural, maritime, agricultural, and tourism assets should be developed through innovation so they can contribute more directly to economic growth and improve the welfare of local communities.