Social welfare recipients exempt from membership fees for village cooperatives

Pasuruan, East Java — Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono has confirmed that members of the public receiving social assistance (bansos) from the Social Welfare Ministry who join Village/Subdistrict Red and White Cooperatives (KDKMP) are not required to pay basic membership fees.

“As a form of support, the government is providing a policy exempting basic membership fees for beneficiaries who join the Village/Subdistrict Red and White Cooperatives,” Ferry said during a KDKMP membership socialisation activity for welfare recipients in Pasuruan on Tuesday.

According to him, welfare recipients who become KDKMP members in their respective areas will also receive various benefits, including easier access to subsidised commodities such as fertiliser, liquefied petroleum gas and other products.

Ferry emphasised that the substantial increase in cooperative membership from welfare recipients can serve as a strategic government effort to enhance economic empowerment of communities.

He stated that the government also plans to provide financing support, curation and business incubation for local micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) products so they can be marketed through village cooperative outlet networks in various regions.

“To date, approximately 32,000 KDKMP units are under construction, with 2,200 cooperative units completed and ready to operate. The government hopes rural economies can develop independently through the collective strength of communities via KDKMP,” Ferry said.