80,081 Units Have Been Formed, Kemenkop Accelerates The Operation Stage Of Kopdes/Kel Merah Putih

Minister of Cooperatives Budi Arie Setiadi. (Photo: Doc Kemenkop)

Minister of Cooperatives (Menkop) Budi Arie Setiadi emphasized that the Government continues to accelerate the acceleration of the operation of the Red and White Village Cooperative (Kopdes/kel) in various regions.

Just so you know, as of July 21, 80,081 Merah Putih village cooperatives have been formed, which already have legal entities and legalities as business entities.

"The second stage that is being carried out is the operation of this cooperative to provide direct benefits to the community," said Cooperative Minister Budi Arie during his visit to Bali, Friday, August 8.

Budi emphasized that the function of Kopdes/Kel Merah Putih is to maintain and suppress inflation, and the noble goal is to realize the constitutional mandate.

"This is also done to realize the hopes and ideals of the nation's founders so that cooperatives become the supporters of the nation's economy teachers," he said.

Although still in the early stages, around a hundred cooperatives have started operating as a pilot. The government hopes that by the end of this year all Merah Putih village cooperatives in Bali can operate optimally.

"The obstacles faced are not obstacles, but challenges such as human resources, access to technology, understanding the cooperative system, and regulations that need to be adjusted," explained the Minister of Cooperatives.

One example of a cooperative that is a model is the Tegal Harum Village Cooperative in Denpasar, which serves around 13,000 residents with 3,500 families.

This cooperative provides various basic needs such as cooking oil, sugar, salt, and coffee from various regions such as Toraja, Lampung, and Kintamani.

Local products are also distributed through the national cooperative network.

Budi Arie emphasized that this cooperative business model does not aim to compete with the market, but creates economic justice for all members of society. This belongs to the people, by the people, and to the people," he said.

In addition, the Red and White Kopdes/kel also played an important role in maintaining inflation by cutting the long distribution chain so that the prices of basic necessities became more affordable.

The government targets 19 important commodities to be available in village cooperatives at a cheaper price for the community.

"This is a noble mission to realize the constitutional mandate and the ideals of the founding fathers of the nation so that cooperatives become supporters of the national economy," said Budi.