Yogyakarta to Integrate Wamira with Merah Putih Village Cooperatives
Yogyakarta City Government will integrate the development of Wamira (People’s Shops) with Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) to prevent direct competition and foster mutual support in the market.
Wamira is a grassroots retail concept initiated by Yogyakarta City Government to control inflation by providing staple commodities at regulated retail prices. Wamira outlets are deliberately positioned within residential neighbourhoods.
As of April 2026, five Wamira units began operations from a target of 14 units across each district in Yogyakarta City. “The idea is for these Wamira shops to be integrated and operate under Merah Putih Village Cooperatives,” said Yogyakarta City Mayor Hasto Wardoyo on Sunday, 8 March 2026.
Hasto stated that the two entities are expected to operate with mutual support rather than competition, but instead to strengthen each other as staple commodity outlets managed directly by residents and cooperatives. The presence of Wamira within residential areas is also expected to maintain food security in urban areas with limited agricultural land.
Through this integration, Wamira is projected to become an extension of food distribution channels, from Bulog rice to subsidised food assistance from Bank Indonesia, so that price intervention is not solely dependent on market operations or traditional market stalls.
Hasto explained that the creation of Wamira was prompted by Yogyakarta City’s geographic condition, which does not have extensive agricultural land like other districts in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, such as Sleman, Bantul, Kulon Progo, or Gunung Kidul, which have vast agricultural areas. This necessitates innovation in controlling inflation.
He stressed that Yogyakarta City Government also wishes to increase the number of such shops at the village level so that residents in their residential areas directly benefit.
“We want to expand these shops at village levels, operating under Merah Putih Village Cooperatives, so that sustainability is maintained and inflation can be controlled in Yogyakarta City,” said Hasto.
Tri Karyadi Riyanto Raharjo, Head of the Department of Industry, Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises in Yogyakarta City, revealed that inter-departmental discussions have been conducted to refine the concept of integrating Wamira and Merah Putih Village Cooperatives.
Tri Karyadi mentioned that one of the existing business units of Merah Putih Village Cooperatives, namely the staple goods outlet, will be integrated into a Wamira outlet so that the product aggregation function for small and medium enterprises can run more optimally. “So Wamira and Merah Putih Village Cooperatives do not operate independently, but complement each other,” he said.
According to him, the Merah Putih Village Cooperative at the neighbourhood level has an aggregation function, collecting products from small and medium enterprises.
“The hope is that Merah Putih Village Cooperatives can also supply their products to Wamira,” said Tri Karyadi.
Veronica Ambar Ismuwardani, Head of the Department of Trade in Yogyakarta City, emphasised that Wamira is purely a people’s economic movement and not a corporate entity, so its management is prioritised for local cooperatives or community groups.
Despite limited support from the municipal budget, Yogyakarta City Government will seek partners from the corporate sector and academia to support the operations of these shops.
“I think this is also an opportunity for Merah Putih Village Cooperatives to enter the grassroots retail sector. Wamira provides an opportunity for Merah Putih Village Cooperatives to establish a Wamira business unit,” said Veronica.
Veronica added that in the implementation of five pilot units, some already involve Merah Putih Village Cooperatives that have a track record in retail business.
To maintain public trust, Wamira operators are required to have a retail business foundation and sign an integrity pledge to ensure all products are sold in accordance with regulated retail prices.
Yogyakarta’s Department of Trade will also facilitate partnerships between Wamira operators and distributors and Bulog to ensure food stock availability is maintained in every lane and residential area.