Menkop: Offtaker Function of Kopdes Merah Putih Supports Food Sovereignty

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono has stated that the function of Village/Urban Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) Merah Putih as offtakers supports national food sovereignty. “The offtaker function is, in my view, crucial when we discuss self-sufficiency, because in my opinion, the President of the Republic of Indonesia actually wants not just food security—where imports are allowed—but food sovereignty, meaning the goods are produced by our own nation that we can manufacture ourselves,” Ferry said at the Economic Briefing 2026 in Jakarta on Thursday. According to him, for instance, if the village produces harvested dry paddy, Kopdes Merah Putih should also absorb the harvested dry paddy using additional equipment such as dryers so that the quality of farmers’ harvested dry paddy can meet the standards set by Bulog. “Secondly, for horticultural products like fruits and vegetables, many good fruits and vegetables are produced by our communities, but because there is no temperature control equipment, the good fruits and vegetables spoil quickly and so on; therefore, the village cooperatives will also be equipped with temperature control devices,” he said. “Then we will have good stocks and even if there is surplus, not only for domestic needs but also for export interests and so forth,” Ferry added. For information, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, commonly known as Zulhas, has emphasised that Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) Merah Putih are part of the government’s infrastructure designed to strengthen the economic access of rural communities. According to him, the existence of village cooperatives will facilitate villagers in accessing central logistics, financial services, and economic markets.