Batam City Government says five KKMPs have been completed

Batam City Government, Riau Islands Province (Kepri), said five Koperasi Kelurahan Merah Putih (KKMP) cooperative stores have been completed in two densely populated districts, Nongsa and Sagulung. The head of the Batam City Cooperatives and Micro Enterprises Office (Diskum), Salim, said the five KKMP sites are located in the kelurahan of Sambau, Batu Besar, Sei Pelunggut, Sei Langkai and Tembesi. “There are five that have been completed and were inaugurated simultaneously yesterday, May 16,” Salim said. He noted that the five KKMP are in the kelurahan Sambau, Batu Besar, Sei Pelunggut, Sei Langkai, and Tembesi. Although the physical construction is finished, Salim said most KKMPs have not begun operating yet because they are waiting for the shop allocations from the centre, via PT Agrinas. “For the shop fill, we are still waiting from the centre, from PT Agrinas,” he said. He added that the management of the businesses within each KKMP will be adjusted to the needs and decisions of each cooperative. “So not all of them will necessarily be grocery stores; it depends on the cooperatives later,” he said. Nevertheless, he said most KKMPs are planned to have basic goods stores and other public-service-oriented business offerings. “On average, there will be a grocery store, some will sell LPG. In Sagulung Kota, there is even one that sells medicines,” he said. One KKMP that has begun operating is in Sagulung Kota, even though the construction of the building is not yet 100 percent complete. “Even though the Sagulung Kota KKMP building is not 100 percent finished, they are already in operation,” Salim noted. In addition to the five completed sites, Diskum Batam records 37 KKMP sites in the physical construction phase and 22 sites in administrative processing and land-need arrangements. A Sei Pelunggut KKMP site observed during monitoring took five months to build on land belonging to the Batam City Government, measuring 600 square metres. Sei Pelunggut resident Zaidun welcomed the KKMP development in his area, saying it utilises previously empty public facilities land. “This is previously empty public facilities land and is now being developed. The location is good because it is in the middle of the community,” he said. However, residents have not yet received definitive information about operating hours or the types of products to be sold at the KKMP outlets. According to Zaidun, residents support the KKMP because they will make basic goods more accessible. “If it opens, of course we will support it because it is nearby. But even if nearby, residents will still consider the price of grocery products,” he said.