Government to Soon Launch 1,061 Red and White Village Cooperatives in Central and East Java

The Red and White Village Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih) programme has now entered the operationalisation stage following the establishment of legal entities, physical construction, outlets, and warehousing. Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono stated that the government will soon launch the operations of Village/Urban Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) Merah Putih in stages, beginning with 1,061 cooperatives in Central Java and East Java. During a visit to the Merah Putih Cooperative in Ngampel Village, Kapas District, Bojonegoro Regency, East Java, on Tuesday, Ferry said the programme has progressed to the operational phase after legal formation, physical development, outlets, and warehousing. “We have successfully formed the cooperative’s legal entity through a special village deliberation, then proceeded to physical construction, outlets, and warehousing, and now we are entering the operational stage,” he said in an official statement in Jakarta on Tuesday. The Minister inspected the progress of Kopdes Merah Putih at several locations in East Java and Central Java alongside the President Director of Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota; the Director General of Village Governance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, La Ode Ahmad; Bojonegoro Regent Setyo Wahono; and Blora Regent Arief Rohman. The inspection was also attended by Deputy TNI Commander General TNI Tandyo Budi Revita, who coordinated with several Military District Commanders (Dandim) regarding the cooperatives’ operational readiness. According to the Minister, the operationalisation of Kopdes Merah Putih is no easy task and requires unity and solidarity from all parties. He emphasised that the government aims to build village economies through cooperatives with a spirit of mutual cooperation and cross-institutional collaboration. Meanwhile, Deputy TNI Commander Tandyo Budi Revita urged all parties to continue evaluations and mutual cooperation to ensure the cooperatives’ operations run effectively. Bojonegoro Regent Setyo Wahono stated that the local government is ready to support and implement the national programme through cross-party coordination at the regional level.