President Prabowo Promotes Technology-Based Roofing, Village Cooperatives Become Production Engines

Jakarta – The roofing program launched by President Prabowo Subianto continues to be refined, with the involvement of the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative (Kopdes Merah Putih) as a driving force for national roofing tile production, both technology-based and environmentally friendly. This initiative is believed to strengthen the village economy while improving the quality of community housing.

Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono said village cooperatives have the potential to produce roof tiles by utilizing innovative materials, including a mixture of coal waste derivatives combined with clay.

“It can be used as a mixture to make roof tiles from clay, with a little bit of leftover coal added. This will make the resulting roof tiles lighter and stronger,” said Ferry.

According to Ferry, technological approaches can make roof tiles more affordable. “The President can even consider this because roof tiles can actually be produced at a lower, more affordable price with these new approaches,” he said. He also emphasized the advantage of widely available raw materials. “We have land, too,” Ferry explained.

The program is also related to the President’s focus on environmental cleanliness. “The President wants to address the issue of ‘cleanliness,’ because it turns out that waste is a widespread problem and there’s no solution. The government will soon implement waste management, so it won’t be disposed of in landfills, but will be managed directly at waste treatment facilities,” Ferry explained.

Regional support is gaining strength. Rachmawati, Head of the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Office of Central Kalimantan Province, stated that her office is currently verifying production areas. “Yes, we are still verifying suitable locations for roof tile production, as our geographical conditions are different,” Rachmawati explained.

She confirmed the region’s commitment to the central government’s programs. “In principle, the region, especially Central Kalimantan, is ready to support the President of the Republic of Indonesia’s strategic programs, of course under the guidance of the Ministry of Cooperatives,” Rachmawati said.***