Conducting Groundbreaking KKMP Pakansari, Menkop Ferry: Potentially Becomes A National Pilot

JAKARTA - The construction of outlets and warehousing and completeness of the Pakansari Red and White Village Cooperative (KKMP) officially began marked by the laying of the first stone or groundbreaking by the Minister of Cooperatives (Menkop) Ferry Juliantono in the Pakansari Stadium area, Cibinong, West Java, today.

Ferry assessed that the construction site in the center of the crowd and close to various public facilities was considered one of the best points to develop a model of urban village cooperatives in Indonesia.

According to him, the strategic location of KKMP Pakansari was able to make it one of the national pilot projects.

"The location is extraordinary strategic, this can be one of the best locations we have ever seen. With a location like this, Pakansari's KKMP has the potential to be a pilot for the Red and White Kopdes and Kopkel in all regions," said Ferry in a written statement, Saturday, November 29.

In a special session before conducting the groundbreaking, Menkop Ferry conducted a zoom meeting with cooperative administrators from several Red and White Village/Sub-District Cooperatives (Kopdes/Kel) which had been operating in Bogor Regency/City.

The administrators from Kopdes/Kel Merah Putih conveyed the progress of operationalization and they also hope that in the future Ferry will respond to it.

The Coordinating Minister emphasized that the construction of KKMP physical assets is not just building outlets and warehouses, but building a new economic foundation based on the constitutional mandate, namely through cooperatives. After the construction is complete, Ferry asks that the operation of the Kelurahan Cooperative can be carried out directly by the management.

"From these rocks, God willing, next year 80,000 cooperatives will be realized whose physical resources are ready and human resources are ready. This will become the people's economic strength and will become a new economic ecosystem in Indonesia," he said.

On that occasion, he also said that the presence of KKMP Pakansari was expected to be a driving force for the residents' economy. With the strategic location and support of the central government, KKMP is projected to be a model of the economic ecosystem of the modern people and able to compete with big retailers.

"We will manage this Red and White Village Cooperative in a modern manner. We want to prove that cooperatives are no less cool than other business entities," he explained.

Through the program, said Ferry, the government wants to encourage rural communities and sub-districts not only to become consumers or objects of development, but to become the main actors of the economy through cooperatives.

With its own outlets and warehouses, cooperatives can start producing goods to open independent retail routes.

Furthermore, Ferry said, the construction of the KKMP in Pakansari was the initial foundation towards the revival of national cooperatives. He is optimistic that this step will be able to continue the ideals of the nation's founders to realize a just economy in accordance with the constitutional mandate.

"God willing, Bung Hatta can smile because today we can continue his struggle to advance cooperatives. KKMP Pakansari will be an example for other regions throughout Indonesia," explained Ferry.

Meanwhile, Bogor Regent Rudy Susmanto stated that the acceleration of the construction of the cooperative was very strategic. Currently, the District Red and White Kopdes/Kel Formation Task Force team continues to carry out an inventory of assets belonging to the local government that can be used for the construction of physical assets of the Red and White Kopdes/Kel.

Rudy explained that one of the important agendas is the laying of the first stone for the construction of cooperatives in Pakansari Village, Cibinong District which was carried out today. In the future, the construction of outlets, warehouses and other complementary facilities will be accelerated in other locations throughout Bogor Regency.

"The long-term target of this program is that 435 Red and White cooperatives will be built in all areas of Bogor Regency, covering 416 villages and 19 urban villages," he said.

In addition, the Chairman of the KKMP Pakansari Arief Husin said that the existence of the Pakansari KKMP would be the center of new community economic activities. The administrators stated that they were ready to optimize their resources in running the business wheel of the KKMP when the physical development process was complete.

"KKMP is a development cooperative, so that services will also be carried out to increase from the original one who only serves one RW, but in the future it will increase to serve 13 RWs," he said.

Arief added that other business activities will also be carried out by opening basic food outlets to health services through clinic outlets and pharmacies. He and other administrators also intend to establish a goods credit business unit to the development of local MSME products through cooperatives.

"We open the opportunity to cooperate with the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit for the MBG (Free Nutrition Food) program because here many have sources of egg and broiler breeders, including frozen fish," he added.