393 Merah Putih Cooperatives Established in Bangka Belitung

Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung (ANTARA) – A total of 393 Merah Putih Village/Urban Ward Cooperatives (KDMP) have been institutionally established in Bangka Belitung Islands Province and are now undergoing verification and validation before beginning business operations.

Arie Primajaya, head of the Bangka Belitung Islands Province Cooperatives and SMEs Office, said in Pangkalpinang on Monday that the cooperatives had been established in every village and urban ward in the province.

“The total number of KDMP in Bangka Belitung matches the number of villages and urban wards: 393 have been institutionally established,” he said.

Arie explained that physical construction had been completed at 222 of the cooperatives’ outlets.

However, completion of an outlet does not indicate that a cooperative is ready to operate, he said, as further requirements still need to be met.

According to Arie, teams at district and municipal level are conducting verification and validation to assess each cooperative’s readiness before it moves on to the next stage.

Once that process is complete, the cooperatives will prepare their outlets and business operations so they can serve the public.

Planned businesses under the KDMP programme include selling staple goods, providing pharmacy services and distributing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), he said.

“These business activities are expected to meet the needs of the community while also stimulating the economy at village and urban-ward level,” he said.

Arie said he hoped the presence of a KDMP in every village and urban ward would give residents a platform to develop economic activity through joint enterprise.

The cooperatives could also create business opportunities suited to local needs and economic potential.

He said institutional and operational readiness were essential to ensure that the cooperatives could function effectively.

“That is why verification and validation are necessary before the cooperatives begin full business operations,” he said.

In addition to outlet readiness, business management would be an important factor in ensuring the cooperatives’ sustainability, he said.

Cooperative managers need to ensure that business activities meet the needs of members and the public and are managed in an orderly manner.