For Example, Spain To Japan, Budi Arie Believes The Red And White Kopdes Can Eradicate Poverty
Minister of Cooperatives (Menkop) Budi Arie Setiadi said the existence of 80,000 Red and White Villages Cooperatives (Kopdes/Kel Merah Putih) was one of the government's efforts to equalize the economy and eradicate extreme poverty.
This was conveyed by Budi Arie in his remarks at the Commemoration Day of the 78th Cooperative at the Office of the Ministry of Cooperatives (Kemenkop), Jakarta, Saturday, July 12.
"This initiative is of course very relevant to the development of villages for economic equality and eradicating extreme poverty through the Village and Red and White Village Cooperative Program," he said.
Budi gave an example, cooperatives in a number of countries that are one of the drivers of the community's economy.
The major Cooperative of Mondragon in Spain, Nonghyup agricultural cooperatives in South Korea to the Zenoh Cooperative in Japan. According to Budi Arie, these cooperatives have already accelerated.
Therefore, Budi Arie is optimistic that Indonesia can progress like these countries through the Red and White Kopdes/Kel.
"We are not allowed to be apathy, we will go there by utilizing the strength of the village. In the village there is an urgent need to overcome the development gap between villages and cities," he said.
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Meanwhile, according to Budi Arie, villages in Indonesia have extraordinary potential, ranging from agriculture, fisheries, handicrafts, tourism to new and renewable energy (EBT).
He explained, based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) 2024, there are 84,276 administrative areas at the village level. Consisting of 75,753 villages, 8,486 sub-districts and 37 units of transmigration settlements or transmigration residential units in 7,281 sub-districts in 514 districts/cities.
Then, he continued, there are 66,002 villages/kelurahan where most of the people work in agriculture, forestry and fishery.
"This is potential that must be managed properly and correctly," he said.