Registrations for Kopdes Merah Putih Managers Surpass 220,000

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan announced that recruitment for managers of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih) has surpassed 220,364 applicants as of Sunday (19/4) since it first opened on Wednesday (15/4). “There are many registrations, so sometimes the website experiences disruptions … But I state that the registration is open, transparent, honest, and there is no guarantee of acceptance,” said the man familiarly known as Zulhas after a limited coordination meeting at his office in Jakarta on Monday. In addition, 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. 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 already been completed. “Other lands are still being surveyed. 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. Zulhas stated that the government is currently awaiting technical regulations from the National Food Agency (Agrinas Pangan Nasional)—which is responsible for the physical construction 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 managers of Kopdes Merah Putih. Registration is open from 15-24 April 2026.