Minister of Cooperatives Urges UMKM to Fill 4,000 Kopdes Merah Putih Retail Outlets
Jakarta – The Minister of Cooperatives (Menkop), Ferry Juliantono, has urged UMKM entrepreneurs, particularly those under the Persatuan Islam (Persis) movement, to improve product quality and production capacity so they can fill the modern retail outlets operated by Kopdes Merah Putih (Village/Urban Cooperatives Merah Putih) across Indonesia. He stated this at Persis Ramadan Expo 2026 in Bandung, West Java, on Friday, 6 March 2026.
“In every modern retailer, there are around 4,000 types of products sold there. If our UMKM, including those nurtured by Persis, can produce half of them, that would already be very good,” Ferry said in a written statement from Jakarta on Saturday, 7 March 2026.
Ferry also urged UMKM to enter into production sectors such as bottled mineral water, shampoo, soy sauce, sambal, bread, and so on. “They must be produced with good quality and at competitive prices. I guarantee that all of our UMKM products can be sold in the Kopdes Merah Putih retail outlets,” he added.
The Minister noted that UMKM players must be confident they can meet all essential needs of the people. “If necessary, set up factories and large industries owned by the umat themselves,” he said.
During the event, Ferry praised the Pimpinan Pusat (PP) Persis for continuing to commit to strengthening the umat economy through productive activities such as this Ramadan Expo. “This event is not only a platform to promote businesses, but also a space for umat economic collaboration and community empowerment,” Ferry said.
Furthermore, he noted, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry and PP Persis is a strategic step in strengthening the synergy between the government and civil organisations in building a cooperative-based economy within the Jamiyah Persatuan Islam environment.
Ferry set out that the cooperation includes strengthening a religious-based economy anchored in a cooperative movement, with important areas including developing and reinforcing cooperative institutions, increasing human resources capacity, strengthening enterprises and business units, expanding access to financing and capital, and strengthening networks and partnerships.
Ferry emphasised that the Ministry of Cooperatives will continue to push for the transformation of cooperatives into modern, adaptive economic institutions capable of competing in the digital era. “Therefore, collaboration with various elements of society, including religious organisations like Persatuan Islam, is extremely important,” said Ferry.
Meanwhile, Persis PP Chairman Dr KH Jeje Zaenudin is convinced that the strategic partnership with the Ministry will strengthen people-powered, cooperative-based economy. “We need to keep creating opportunities for developing the economy rooted in the People. Moreover, we now have Persis Halal Center,” said Jeje.