Cooperative Ministry accelerates KDKMP operationalisation through three key steps
The Ministry of Cooperatives (Kemenkop) is accelerating the operationalisation of the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives (KDKMP) through technical socialisation, physical verification of business facilities, and the placement of professional managers.
Cooperative Minister Ferry Juliantono, in a press release in Jakarta on Monday, stated that this acceleration is necessary to ensure that KDKMP can promptly enter the operational phase on the ground.
“We must move even faster in the field for the operationalisation stage,” said Ferry during a working visit to Susukan District, Banjarnegara Regency, Central Java, on Sunday (10/9).
He explained that the first step taken by Kemenkop is providing technical socialisation regarding the operational mechanisms of KDKMP business units to cooperative administrators.
Furthermore, Kemenkop will accelerate the process of physical verification and validation of warehouse buildings and outlets, up to the stage of issuing the Handover Certificate (BAST).
Kemenkop will also immediately deploy recruited professional managers to oversee the daily operational activities of the cooperatives in each region.
Ferry stated that accelerating the operationalisation of KDKMP is part of the government’s effort to restore cooperatives as one of the main drivers of the national economy, alongside State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) and the private sector.
Meanwhile, the Regent of Banjarnegara, Amalia Desiana, expressed the readiness of the local government, down to the village level, to support the operationalisation of KDKMP in her region. She hopes that the presence of KDKMP can serve as a platform for villagers to develop and increase the market value of various local products.
Based on data from the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative Information System (Simkopdes) as of 14 September 2024, a total of 83,367 Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives (KDKMP) have been formed. However, not all of these cooperatives possess operational facilities such as buildings, warehouses, outlets, and other supporting infrastructure.
Of that total, 24,701 KDKMP have completed the construction of operational facilities, while 10,866 KDKMP are still in the construction phase.
During the visit to Banjarnegara Regency, the Minister also inspected the Kamukten Nira Producer Cooperative in Susukan Village, which has developed coconut sap-based products in the form of coconut sugar. The Minister noted that the cooperative has successfully penetrated the German market and received validation from Fairtrade institutions in the United Kingdom. He assessed that the experience of the Kamukten Nira Cooperative demonstrates that cooperatives can expand market access for local products if they are able to meet the standards required by international markets.