Deputy Minister of Cooperatives Assures Red and White Village Cooperatives Can Revitalise Rural Economies

Lebak (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Cooperatives Farida Farichah has assured that the Red and White Village Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih), which are currently operational, are capable of revitalising the economic growth of rural communities.

“We are optimistic that Kopdes Merah Putih can revitalise the rural economy, especially since rural communities are rich in various potentials, and this is an opportunity for them to be empowered and sovereign in managing their respective villages,” said Farida while attending the Branch Deliberation (Muscab) of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in Lebak Regency on Monday.

To ensure the success of Kopdes Merah Putih in line with Presidential Instructions (Inpres) Numbers 9 and 17, the Ministry of Cooperatives is currently undertaking physical construction, such as outlets, warehouses, and other facilities, carried out by PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Persero), including vehicle procurement.

The preparations by the Ministry of Cooperatives prioritise the construction of Kopdes Merah Putih, as this is President Prabowo Subianto’s programme.

At present, she said, the formation of KDKMP has been completed, with around 83,000 units having legal entity status, including their management.

“Now, some of these KDKMP are already operating independently in business,” said Farida.

According to her, among the approximately 83,000 KDKMP units, around 34,000 to 35,000 are currently undergoing construction of outlets, warehouses, and other facilities by PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara.

Her side also requested residents to check how many Kopdes in Lebak have been completed and which have not, but the latest data from the coordination meeting on KDKMP construction shows that around 3,000 units have been 100% completed.

“We are preparing the stages of KDKMP construction which are ongoing, and once all are 100% complete, there will be operationalisation including filling equipment, stocking goods for sale, determining personnel, including the number of employees, along with recruiting members in villages and sub-districts,” said the PKB politician.

Manager of Kopdes Merah Putih in Pondok Panjang Village, Cihara Sub-district, Lebak Regency, Aep Saepudin, stated that the cooperative under his management currently has 294 members, most of whom are micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM) actors.

These UMKM actors produce emping kaceprek, palm sugar, banana sale, and fish meatballs, as their area has abundant raw materials.

In fact, the palm sugar production is supplied to several areas in East Java and can generate a circulation of Rp400 million if calculated at Rp40,000 per kilogram from a production of 10 tonnes per month.

“We are optimistic that KDMP can grow the village economy, while also being able to eradicate extreme poverty,” he said.