JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Food and Agriculture Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that the government is focusing on completing the construction of 40,000 Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP) so that they can start operating gradually in October 2026. The program is prepared to strengthen the village economy while expanding community services throughout Indonesia.
Zulkifli Hasan or Zulhas said the government had coordinated with various ministries and agencies to ensure the target for the completion of village cooperatives could be achieved this year.
"Now our focus is to finish it. I have met with the agency and all related ministries, the focus this year is for 40 thousand. It could even be up to 36 thousand more. However, we may reserve up to Rp. 40 thousand this year," said Zulhas, quoted from Antara, Saturday, July 4.
According to Zulhas, the government targets the completion of the physical development and operational readiness of the KDMP in September 2026 so that starting in October all cooperatives that are ready can immediately provide services to the community.
"The focus is to make the road, to make it good, next year we will see what kind of development it is," he said regarding the adjustment of the target from the initial plan to build 80,000 Red and White Village Cooperatives.
In addition to being a center for village economic activities, the KDMP will also serve as a center for distributing various government programs. Zulhas explained that social assistance for the Family Hope Program (PKH), agricultural tools and machinery (alsintan), to various public services will be centralized through the cooperative.
"Later, PKH, assistance for alms and all government needs will be dropped into the kopdes. From the kopdes, they will distribute to the community. There is also electricity payment, telephone will be in the kopdes. The subsidized fertilizer, gas is also sold in the kopdes," he said.
Not only that, KDMP is also projected to be an offtaker or direct buyer of agricultural and fishery products from the community. This scheme is expected to provide market certainty while maintaining the selling price of farmers' and fishermen's production.
Meanwhile, the Regional Secretary of South Sulawesi Province Jufri Rahman said the local government was still waiting for technical instructions from the central government regarding cooperative operations, including the mechanism for adjusting the number of KDMP from the initial target.
"We are waiting for the ministry's instructions, everything is regulated and centralized. The determination of the number, the reduction must be the central rule. We are waiting for the criteria, how to reduce it, then we will do it according to the instructions," said Jufri.
In South Sulawesi alone, as many as 3,059 Red and White Village Cooperative managers have been formed and spread across 24 regencies/cities as preparation for implementing the national program. The government hopes that the presence of village cooperatives will be able to strengthen the people's economy while shortening the distribution chain of various community needs at the village level.
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