Jakarta — The government under President Prabowo Subianto has demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding employment opportunities and accelerating economic equality through significant investment in the agricultural sector and strengthening village cooperatives. Through a Rp 371 trillion downstreaming program, the government aims to create millions of new jobs and encourage economic growth starting from villages.
Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the Rp371 trillion downstream investment would boost industrialization in the food, plantation, and livestock sectors.
“If the total downstream investment is Rp371 trillion, it will create 8 million jobs,” said Amran.
Amran explained that the initial implementation of this program is projected to absorb three million workers in the first three years.
“So, that’s 1 million jobs per year. So, that’s very realistic. We always keep our calculations moderate,” he said.
He emphasized that this step was taken in accordance with President Prabowo’s direction to make the agricultural sector a new center of economic growth in the region.
“At the direction of President Prabowo, we are moving quickly with the Minister of Investment and Downstream Development, who is also the Head of Danantara. We plan to invest a total of IDR 371 trillion in the agriculture, food, livestock, horticulture, and plantation sectors,” he explained.
In addition to downstreaming, the government is also accelerating the formation of Red and White Village Cooperatives (KopDes Merah Putih) as a driving force for national economic equality. As of October 2025, more than 15,000 village cooperatives were actively operating in various regions, and the government is targeting 80,000 units by the end of next year.
The Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Maman Abdurrahman, emphasized that village cooperatives are a real instrument for community empowerment.
“The Red and White Village Cooperative is not only a symbol of village economic revival, but a tangible instrument that provides access to capital, markets, and training for villagers,” he said.
President Prabowo believes this step is part of the government’s broader vision of achieving national economic independence.
“The Red and White Village Cooperative Program is our effort to liberate communities from poverty and inequality. I want the economy to grow from the bottom up, from strong and independent villages,” Prabowo emphasized.
With cross-ministerial synergy and support from local governments, the downstreaming program and village cooperatives are believed to be key pillars of inclusive and equitable national economic growth.***