30,000 Kopdes Merah Putih Managers to Be Deployed Starting August 2026
The Minister of Cooperatives, Ferry Juliantono, stated that approximately 30,000 managers for the Merah Putih Village/Ward Cooperatives (Kopdes) will begin being stationed in cooperatives throughout Indonesia starting in August 2026, following the completion of ongoing training programmes. Ferry noted that the placement will be carried out gradually, coinciding with the completion of the physical construction of warehouses, outlets, and supporting facilities for Kopdes Merah Putih.
“God willing, by early August, they will have completed their training and we will immediately place them in all Merah Putih Village/Ward Cooperatives, alongside the completion of the physical construction of warehouses, outlets, and necessary equipment,” Ferry said during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (2/7/2026).
According to him, the managers will be assigned to their respective home regions to ensure a better understanding of local characteristics and to facilitate easier cooperative management. The prospective Kopdes Merah Putih managers are currently undergoing national defence training and managerial training for prospective cooperative managers.
The programme was previously known as the Reserve Component (Komcad) training, but the government has modified the scheme following an evaluation after the deaths of five participants during the training process. Consequently, the duration of the national defence training has been reduced from one month to two weeks.
On the same occasion, the Deputy Minister of Cooperatives, Farida Farichual, stated that the prospective managers will next undergo cooperative managerial training organised by the Ministry of Cooperatives. This training is scheduled to take place from 17 to 31 July 2026.
The training covers 12 modules, including philosophy, regulation, cooperative practices, institutional frameworks, cooperative governance, operational management, and the digitalisation of Kopdes Merah Putih.
While the training will still be held at the same education and training centres used for the national defence programme, the curriculum and instructors will be coordinated by the Ministry of Cooperatives.
Farida added that at the end of the training, participants will also undergo competency tests to obtain professional certification from the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP). This step is being taken to ensure that Kopdes Merah Putih is managed by professional human resources.
According to data from the Merah Putih Village/Ward Cooperative Information System (Simkopdes) as of 2 July 2026, out of approximately 35,000 verified construction sites for cooperative outlets, around 20,000 units are currently under construction. Meanwhile, approximately 14,000 Kopdes Merah Putih units have been 100 per cent completed.