Zulhas: KDKMP Must Become Village Economic Engine Based on Local Potential

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan has stated that the Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives (KDKMP) must become the engine of village economic growth by developing the leading local potential of each region through commodity downstreaming and supply chain strengthening. ‘Cooperatives must be the drivers of downstreaming so that marine and plantation products are processed, marketed, and provide added value enjoyed by village communities,’ Zulkifli Hasan said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Thursday. The directive was delivered by the Coordinating Minister for Food while opening the KDKMP National Seminar in Ternate, North Maluku, on Wednesday (5/8). ‘North Maluku has great potential in the fisheries and plantation sectors. Do not just sell raw materials,’ he said. He stated that KDKMP is expected to act as an off-taker as well as a link between farmers, planters, fishermen, industry, and the market so that the supply chain becomes more efficient and community incomes increase. The KDKMP National Seminar in North Maluku is the third event after Jakarta and South Sulawesi, held in the context of accelerating the implementation of cooperatives according to each region’s economic potential. Based on the ministry’s presentation, the acceleration of KDKMP development nationally continues to show progress.