Surabaya City Government Responds to Kopdes Taking Stock From Private Warehouse
A viral video shows two trucks bearing the insignia of ‘Koperasi Desa Merah Putih’ transporting goods or stock from an Indomarco warehouse in the Surabaya area, which has sparked a polemic on social media.
The video attracted attention because Kopdes Merah Putih reportedly took goods from Indomarco, a major distributor or supplier to the Indomaret network across Indonesia.
The Surabaya City Government has spoken up about the viral clip. From the clarifications provided, the activity is part of an official partnership and not an illegal act.
Reza Fahreddy, head of the Cooperative Section at the Dinas Koperasi Usaha Kecil dan Menengah dan Perdagangan (Dinkopumdag) Surabaya, confirmed that the video occurred in the Kota Pahlawan area. “If [the Kopdes Merah Putih truck video] is in [Rungkut],” Reza told reporters on Wednesday (20 May).
He confirmed a partnership between PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, as the state-owned enterprise managing Kopdes Merah Putih, and PT Indomarco as the private party. He said Indomarco also supplies Indofood products to Kopdes Merah Putih. “As for Indofood’s version, Indomarco is the distributor to us (Dinkopumdag), informing that Indofood as the principal has a cooperation with PT Agrinas,” Reza explained.
On that basis, Reza views the Kopdes Merah Putih trucks’ activity in taking logistics from Indomarco as normal and legal. “As far as I know Indofood is one of the principals appointed by Agrinas to stock the stores,” he said.
In response to the controversy, Reza stressed that the city government’s authority in this programme is very limited. He said the local government is only responsible for the ownership of the stores’ physical assets, not for commodity regulation or the supply chain of goods sold. “The information from the centre is that we as local governments pay for the construction and related costs. That implies there must be a handover first before we renegotiate,” he added.
Reza urged the public not to engage in wild speculation, as the entire distribution chain is fully controlled by the centre through PT Agrinas. “The decision-maker is not us; Agrinas administers it. Agrinas works with which factories, as far as we know, one of them is Indofood,” he concluded.