35,872 'Merah Putih' Village Cooperatives to Sell Subsidised Goods, Completion Set for August

The government is targeting the completion of 35,872 ‘Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih’ (Red and White Village/Sub-district Cooperatives) by August 2026. In line with this, the government is also accelerating the drafting of a Presidential Regulation (Perpres) that will govern the cooperatives’ operations as an infrastructure for distributing aid and subsidised goods.

Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas), stated that the development progress of the Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih is nearing its final stage. Once completed, the government will prepare human resources so that the cooperatives can begin operating immediately.

‘First, let me explain that these village cooperatives, nearly 35,872 of them, are almost complete. God willing, they will be finished by August this year. So this year, we will complete approximately 35,872. We will place personnel and, of course, ensure this can run well. Next year we will plan again,’ Zulhas said during a press conference at the Graha Mandiri Auditorium, Jakarta, on Monday (20/7/2026).

According to Zulhas, the government is currently finalising the Presidential Regulation that will serve as the operational basis for the Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih. The regulation will stipulate that the distribution of government aid and subsidised goods can be centralised through these cooperatives.

‘Therefore, we just held a meeting to finalise the rules to complement this, a Perpres governing how the operationalisation works, how aid or subsidised goods can be channelled through a single door via the village cooperatives. The Perpres will be drafted so that it can run well,’ he said.

He mentioned that the drafting of the Perpres will be led by a team chaired by the Deputy for Trade System and Food Distribution Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, Tatang Yuliono, with initiatives from the Ministry of Cooperatives and the Ministry of Villages. The government is targeting the regulation to be completed within one month.

‘We will immediately form a team, led by Mr. Tatang, Deputy at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, to complete the Perpres, with the initiative coming from the Minister of Cooperatives and the Minister of Villages. We are given a target of one month to finish this so that other matters can be carried out properly,’ Zulhas said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Yandri Susanto, stated that the operational regulation would detail the implementation mechanism for the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives on the ground. He confirmed the completion target aligns with the Coordinating Minister for Food’s directive, which is by August.

‘Yes, we will detail the operationalisation later,’ Yandri said after the press conference.

When asked when the regulation would be issued, Yandri confirmed that the Presidential Regulation could be completed within one month, as requested by the Coordinating Minister for Food.

‘We were asked by the Coordinating Minister for Food to complete it in one month. That means August. God willing, by August,’ he concluded.