NTB Strengthens Red and White Village Cooperatives to Drive Grassroots Economy
Mataram (ANTARA) - The West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government is strengthening the role of cooperatives as drivers of the grassroots economy to support the acceleration of the Red and White Village/Sub-district Cooperative (KDKMP) programme in the region.
“This strengthening begins with governance, increasing human resource capacity, and the modernisation of cooperatives. This is a strategic step to ensure cooperatives can improve community welfare and become pillars of the regional economy,” said the Vice Governor of NTB, Indah Dhamayanti Putri, following the 79th National Cooperative Day (Harkopnas) celebrations in Mataram on Friday.
According to her, National Cooperative Day should serve as a momentum to revive the cooperative spirit while implementing improvements to ensure cooperatives become healthier, more professional, and capable of meeting modern challenges.
“The condition of our current cooperatives varies. Some are developing well, some require governance strengthening, and others need more intensive guidance to become healthy and productive again,” she said.
She noted that technological advancements, easier access to information, and improving infrastructure should be utilised as opportunities to accelerate cooperative transformation. Therefore, increasing the competence of administrators, strengthening management, and providing training for Red and White village/sub-district cooperative managers are essential ongoing agendas.
The Vice Governor is optimistic that NTB possesses strong capital to ensure the success of the KDKMP programme, which is one of the national strategic programmes. In addition to being supported by ready cooperative data, NTB also possesses potential assets and land that can be utilised to strengthen cooperative development across all villages and sub-districts.
“Land availability is a challenge in several regions. In NTB, this potential is an advantage that can support the more optimal development of KDKMP,” she stated.
According to the Vice Governor, cooperatives have proven to be instruments for community economic empowerment.
“The existence of cooperatives, including women’s cooperatives, has helped increase family incomes, strengthen micro-enterprises, and support the financing of children’s education,” she added.
The NTB Department of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (Diskop UKM) noted that 121 KDKMPs in NTB have begun operations. The NTB Provincial Government aims for all KDKMPs in the province to be fully operational by 2027.
The Head of the NTB Department of Cooperatives and SMEs, Wirawan Ahmad, stated that out of a total of 1,166 KDKMPs formed in NTB, 121 cooperatives are already operating, with some even executing business models effectively. Meanwhile, 19 cooperatives have established physical outlets. Additionally, 510 Red and White Village Cooperatives in NTB are registered with PT Agrinas. All registered cooperatives are targeted to be operational this year, while 707 Red and White Village Cooperatives have already conducted their Annual Member Meetings (RAT).