Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Ingin National Cooperative Laskar Juang Move from Hulu

JAKARTA - Minister of Cooperatives (Menkop) Ferry Juliantono wants the National Cooperative Laskar Juang Indonesia in its business activities to move from the upstream sector.

"In the context of fashion designers and entrepreneurs (members of cooperatives), we imagine that activities using clothing made from local product fabrics, further than that, it is also possible to grow cotton materials on land in Indonesia," said the Minister of Coordinating Human Development and Culture, quoted by Antara.

Ferry explained that by moving from the hulunya, in accordance with the Pancasila economy, Koperasi Nasional Laskar Juang not only builds its clothing business, but also supports fabric manufacturers to cotton farmers or basic materials for production.

"I encourage this Laskar Juang National Cooperative to take the initiative to open cotton plantations, as well as the production of cloth, garments, and so on. Now I still hear that textile dyes partly use imported raw materials," he said.

This message was conveyed by Minister of Transportation Ferry when inaugurating the Laskar Juang National Cooperative which was initiated by Member of the House of Representatives of the XIII Commission Rieke Diah Pitaloka, with the initial members filled by the Indonesian Fashion Entrepreneur Designer Association (APPMI).

The Minister realized that moving from upstream to restore the direction and practice of the Pancasila economy was not easy, there were many challenges and obstacles. However, it is appropriate for cooperatives to be present in the production sector, the distribution sector, the industrial sector, and the credit sector.

"This is in line with President Prabowo Subianto's direction that considers cooperatives an important instrument to become a guru of the national economy, so that the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs is currently actively engaged with the Red and White Village/Neighborhood Cooperatives," he said.

At the direction of Minister of Transportation Ferry, the Chairman of the National Cooperative Laskar Juang Indonesia Rieke Diah Pitaloka ensured the presence of this cooperative itself to build economic strength based on mutual cooperation, shared ownership, and shared prosperity.

Currently, the cooperative is starting in the clothing sector, namely accommodating micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as clothing or textile business actors.

This cooperative is not in the form of a savings and loan, but focuses on production and distribution, so that in accordance with the government's expectations they will move from upstream to downstream.

"Cooperatives must take a strategic role as an instrument for national economic transformation, must be able to organize farmers, fishermen, workers, MSMEs, and all the productive forces of the nation so that they have stronger bargaining power, competitiveness, and vitality. We will move from upstream to downstream," said Rieke Diah.

He said that at the beginning, cooperatives would strengthen people's production, build a fair distribution network, expand market access, develop processing industries, and create added value for the work and resources of the Indonesian nation.

"Indonesia must not continue to be a nation that only exports raw materials and imports finished products, we must become a nation that is able to produce, process, distribute, and control its own economic value chain," he said.