Merah Putih Cooperative Opens Recruitment for Prospective Managers, Zulhas Reveals 200,000 Applicants
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan stated that the recruitment for managers of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) has reached 220,364 applicants as of Sunday (19/4) since it first opened on Wednesday (15/4). Additionally, Zulhas, who is also the Head of the Task Force for the Formation of Kopdes Merah Putih, added that the number of applicants for managers of the Merah Putih Fishermen’s Villages has also been quite high, reaching 64,029 people.
“This is why there are so many registrations that sometimes the website experiences disruptions. But I state that the registration is open, transparent, honest, and no one is guaranteed to be accepted,” said the man who is familiarly called Zulhas after a limited coordination meeting at his office in Jakarta on Monday (20/4/2026).
From the infrastructure side, the government has recorded 35,408 land plots for the construction of Kopdes Merah Putih that meet the standard size of 1,000 square metres, 25,625 plots are in the construction process, and 5,714 plots have been completed.
“We are continuing to survey other lands. They will be adjusted in the next period, because in cities the land is expensive and ownership is varied. And there are also those whose land does not meet the 1,000 square metre standard,” he explained.
He emphasised that several supporting regulations have been completed, including Minister of Finance Regulation No. 15 of 2026 on the Procedure for Disbursing General Allocation Funds/Revenue Sharing Funds or Village Funds in the Framework of Accelerating the Physical Development of Outlets, Warehousing, and Facilities for Village/Sub-District Cooperatives Merah Putih.
Zulhas stated that the government is now awaiting technical regulations from the National Food Agrinas—which is responsible for the physical development of Kopdes Merah Putih—regarding the audit of building values so that payments can be made through member banks of the State-Owned Banks Association (Himbara).
The government targets the completion of 30,000 village cooperatives by June 2026. The government has officially opened recruitment for 30,000 positions as Kopdes Merah Putih managers. Registration is open from 15-24 April 2026.
Participants who pass the selection will work under the auspices of the state-owned enterprise PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara with a Fixed-Term Employment Agreement (PKWT) for two years. After that period, the assignment will be re-evaluated by the State-Owned Enterprises Regulatory Body (BP) to determine the continuity of the contract.