Starting August, 30,000 Kopdes Merah Putih Managers to Serve in Home Regions
The Ministry of Cooperatives (Kemenkop) is targeting the deployment of 30,000 managers for the Kopdeskel Merah Putih (Red and White Village/Sub-district Cooperatives) programme starting in August 2026. Before being placed, the prospective managers will complete a state defence training programme organised jointly with the Ministry of Defence (Kemhan).
Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono stated that all participants are targeted to complete the training by early August. Afterwards, they will be immediately placed in Kopdeskel Merah Putih locations where the construction of warehouses, outlets, and supporting facilities has been completed.
“So, God willing, by early August they will have finished their training and we will immediately place them in all Kopdeskel Merah Putih, coinciding with the completion of the physical construction of warehouses, outlets, and supporting equipment,” Ferry said during a press conference at the Ministry of Cooperatives in Jakarta on Thursday (2/7/2026).
According to Ferry, the placement of managers will be tailored to each participant’s region of origin. The government is targeting the placement process to begin in the first week of August. “It will be adjusted to their respective regions of origin. They will start being placed at the beginning of the first week of August,” Ferry explained.
Ferry added that the initial requirement for managers remains at 30,000 people. This number will continue to grow as the construction of Kopdeskel Merah Putih progresses in various regions. “For now, it is still 30,000 (managers). It will be phased in later, next year, in line with the physical construction process of warehouses, outlets, and their supporting equipment,” he detailed.
The Ministry of Cooperatives has prepared 12 managerial training modules for prospective Kopdeskel Merah Putih managers. The training materials cover cooperative management, cooperative governance, cooperative digitalisation, and case studies of cooperatives that have successfully penetrated export markets.
“That is what we will provide to them as motivation, that the Kopdes Merah Putih, when managed professionally, can eventually become a professional and profitable institution,” said Deputy Minister of Cooperatives (Wamenkop) Farida Farichah.
Farida confirmed that this managerial training will still be conducted at existing education and training locations. However, the curriculum and teaching staff will be under the coordination of the Ministry of Cooperatives. Following this, prospective managers will receive professional certification from the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP).
“This is solely to address public doubt that this training is not a perfunctory or merely ceremonial exercise, but rather a curriculum that we have coordinated with the relevant institutions that have the authority regarding professional certification, specifically for managers,” she stated.