Minister urges students not to be pessimistic about Kopdes Merah Putih

Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono has urged students not to be pessimistic about the Kopdes Merah Putih (KDMP) village cooperative programme, even though its operations still face various challenges. Ferry made the remarks in response to journalists’ questions about a recent student demonstration, one of whose demands called for the Kopdes Merah Putih programme to be streamlined and re-evaluated. “It is indeed not easy to operationalise, but do not be pessimistic. The people need business entities, they need their economy to revive,” Ferry said at the DPR RI building in Jakarta on Wednesday. Ferry explained that the establishment of KDMP is a government effort to drive productive economic activities at the village and sub-district level by placing the community as the main actors in business activities. He noted that the programme’s implementation covers a number of stages, from establishing legal entities and building physical facilities to operating the cooperatives. Therefore, the implementation process is deemed to require time and adjustments before it can run optimally. Furthermore, Ferry said the government is also adjusting the Kopdes Merah Putih development target this year. He stressed that the development of Kopdes Merah Putih will continue. “But operationalisation requires a qualitative approach, it must be based on a feasibility study as conveyed by the DPR. And these village cooperatives must be profitable and so forth. So there must also be a qualitative approach,” Ferry said. It was previously reported that Minister Ferry estimates around 40,000 Kopdes Merah Putih units can begin operating by the end of 2026, in line with the acceleration of supporting infrastructure development across various regions. “By this year, I estimate all completed physical buildings will total a maximum of 40,000. Once the physical buildings are finished, operations will be pursued. I think by the end of this year it can be done,” Ferry said during a working meeting with Commission VI of the DPR RI in Jakarta on Thursday. Ferry stated that the government is using a realistic approach and prioritising quality aspects in implementing the Kopdes Merah Putih programme. He mentioned that to date, 12,533 Kopdes Merah Putih units have fully completed physical construction, while 22,737 units are still under construction. “So out of 35,000 verified plots of land, 22,000 are under construction. Then those that have completed physical construction number 12,530,” he said. Ferry added that the government had previously launched the operationalisation of 1,061 Kopdes Merah Putih units in Central Java and East Java. According to him, in line with the President’s directive, Kopdes Merah Putih will have a number of strategic functions in strengthening the community economy at the grassroots level.