Jakarta, suaradewata.com – The government continues to promote the strengthening of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative as a driving force for the people’s economy and a space for empowered growth for rural communities. This program is considered strategic because it is directly integrated with President Prabowo Subianto’s administration’s major agendas, ranging from food self-sufficiency and Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), to strengthening cooperatives at the village and sub-district levels.
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that the Merah Putih Village Cooperative is part of a single, interconnected national policy. He believes food self-sufficiency is the primary foundation for Indonesia’s reliance on large food imports.
“So, the President’s programs are interconnected. First, food self-sufficiency. Because if we don’t achieve self-sufficiency, we will be dependent on massive imports,” said Zulkifli Hasan.
He explained that the Merah Putih Village Cooperative is targeted to become a supplier of staple foods to the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) that supports the MBG program. Thus, the cooperative will not only serve as an economic institution but also become part of the national food security and nutrition ecosystem.
The government itself has set a target of building all Red and White Cooperative outlets by the end of 2026. In West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), acceleration efforts are ongoing to meet the development target. Lalu Moh. Faozal, Head of the NTB Province Red and White Cooperative Development Acceleration Task Force, stated that his team is actively monitoring the readiness of district and city governments to expedite the cooperative outlet construction process. This step is being taken to meet the established first-phase target.
“We’re also checking the readiness of districts and cities to expedite the construction of these outlets. We hope to have at least phase one completed by the end of February. The Merah Putih Cooperative, which has approximately 600 outlets, should be completed by the end of February,” Faozal said.
Meanwhile, to ensure cooperatives operate healthily and according to principles, the Ministry of Cooperatives has developed three oversight schemes. Herbert Siagian, Deputy for Cooperative Supervision at the Ministry, explained that oversight is carried out through member and community participation, the establishment of an early detection system, and strengthening internal cooperative oversight.
“We have prepared at least three aspects of oversight for the Merah Putih Village Cooperative. First, we are encouraging member and community participation-based oversight,” said Herbert.
He added that the public and cooperative members can report suspected operational irregularities through the KOPDES System, which is directly connected to the Ministry of Cooperatives. To support effective oversight, the Ministry of Cooperatives is also providing education on cooperative principles and governance, while also opening various complaint channels to ensure cooperatives truly become empowered and integrated growth spaces. (*)
