Prabowo to Officially Launch 1,000 Red and White Village Cooperatives on 16 May

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono has revealed that President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to launch the operations of the Red and White Village/Urban Ward Cooperatives in May 2026. The event is planned to take place in Nganjuk Regency, East Java, although the schedule remains subject to change.

The launch plans, Ferry explained, were discussed during a cross-ministry and agency coordination meeting held at the Ministry of Villages’ office. The meeting was attended by the Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, the President Director of Agrinas Pangan Joao Angelo De Sousa, and the Deputy Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

“We just had a meeting at the Ministry of Villages’ office. There was the Coordinating Minister for Food, the Deputy Commander of the TNI, the President Director of Agrinas—it has been conveyed that the launch is planned for 16 May, this is still tentative in Nganjuk Regency, East Java. But this is tentative, so it’s just a plan,” Ferry said at the Ministry of Cooperatives’ office in Jakarta on Monday (11/5/2026).

In the initial phase, the government will operate around 1,000 Red and White Village/Urban Ward Cooperatives, which have been fully completed physically. Ferry explained that these cooperatives already have supporting facilities ranging from warehouses and retail outlets to other operational equipment.

“The ones whose operations will be launched are approximately 1,000 cooperatives out of around 7,200, I think, that have been 100 percent completed in terms of physical construction, warehouses, retail outlets, and equipment,” he said.

The government is also working on tens of thousands of other cooperatives that are currently under construction. Ferry stated that the current government focus is no longer just on building structures but on ensuring that the cooperatives truly operate and provide economic benefits to village communities.

“Out of the around 7,200 with 100% completed buildings, there are around 25,000 cooperatives being built, so insyaallah they can be finished. But now we are concentrating on the operations,” he continued.

He emphasised that the Red and White Village/Urban Ward Cooperatives programme is designed as a driver of the people’s economy, not merely a physical construction project. Therefore, the involvement of ministries, agencies, and state-owned enterprises is deemed important to accelerate the cooperative business ecosystem in villages.

Ferry also dismissed the notion that the phased launch of 1,000 cooperatives indicates obstacles in the project. According to him, the government is intentionally implementing the programme in stages and in a measured manner.

“No, this is phased,” he asserted firmly.