Targeting 60,000 Red-and-White Village Cooperatives, Rural Economy Revives in the Prabowo Era
By: Nanda Putri Pasaribu )*
President Prabowo Subianto’s move to place cooperatives at the heart of rural economic development was reaffirmed at the beginning of this year—a strong signal that the direction of national development is now truly aligned with the people’s economy. This is no longer mere rhetoric, but a concrete strategy whose impact is beginning to be felt down to the village level.
President Prabowo Subianto emphasized that the government is targeting at least 25,000 Red-and-White Village Cooperatives (Koperasi Desa Merah Putih/Kopdes Merah Putih) to be actively operating by this coming March. This statement is not simply an administrative figure, but reflects the state’s grand ambition to transform the face of the rural economy from one that has long been passive into a productive center of economic activity. From the broader plan to establish 81,000 cooperatives across Indonesia, Prabowo is confident that by March to April, more than a quarter of that target will already be operational—an enormous leap compared to past cooperative programs that often stalled in implementation.
This optimism does not stop in the first quarter. Prabowo Subianto also stated that by the end of December 2026, the government aims for at least 60,000 Red-and-White Village Cooperatives to be in operation. This target sends a strong message that cooperatives are no longer a supplementary component, but are projected to become the backbone of the national economy from the grassroots. When village cooperatives thrive, food distribution chains, local logistics, and microfinance will rely on institutions owned and managed by the community itself. This is what Prabowo refers to as an economic revival across all sectors, as villages are no longer objects, but subjects of development.
Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono revealed that accelerating the physical development of Red-and-White Village Cooperatives is one of the main priorities. To date, more than 44,000 land locations have been mapped as sites for physical outlets, and over 13,000 cooperative outlets have already been successfully built. These figures demonstrate that the program is not confined to discourse, but is actively progressing on the ground. Ferry Juliantono emphasized that physical infrastructure is crucial, as cooperatives require tangible spaces to serve members, store products, and conduct economic transactions.
To achieve these ambitious targets, Ferry Juliantono stated that his ministry will collaborate across ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs, the State-Owned Enterprises Regulatory Agency, and the Ministry of Home Affairs. This synergy is key to swiftly resolving issues related to land, permits, and local government support. This cross-sectoral approach marks a shift from the traditionally slow and fragmented bureaucratic model toward a more coordinated system working toward a shared objective.
Data from the Ministry of Cooperatives’ command center illustrates the massive scale of the program. More than 83,000 Red-and-White Village Cooperatives have obtained legal entity status, with membership reaching 1.65 million people and approximately 690,000 administrators. These figures show that cooperatives are not elitist projects, but truly involve broad community participation. Each cooperative serves as a space for villagers to actively manage their own local economy.
Ferry Juliantono also expressed optimism that by April 2026, as many as 26,000 physical Red-and-White Village Cooperative outlets will be established. To ensure cooperatives do not merely exist physically, the Ministry of Cooperatives continues to conduct human resource training and enhance cooperative digitalization systems. This digitalization is essential to ensure transparency, efficiency, and accountability, thereby maintaining member trust and minimizing the potential for misuse.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Cooperatives is encouraging synergy with various ministries and institutions to strengthen food self-sufficiency. The development of cooperative businesses from upstream to downstream, the utilization of Red-and-White Village Cooperative hubs, and the application of Internet of Things–based technology are all part of a strategy to enable cooperatives to manage food supply chains in a modern manner. Through this approach, added value no longer flows to middlemen or large corporations, but returns to farmers, cooperatives, and rural communities.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that the physical development of Red-and-White Village Cooperative outlets will receive optimal support from PT Agrinas Pangan and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). The involvement of these two institutions adds significant weight to the program, as it unites the strength of state-owned enterprises and state apparatus to ensure that rural food infrastructure operates smoothly. Zulkifli Hasan also views Red-and-White Village Cooperatives as drivers of rural economic growth, particularly in managing strategic business units such as rice, a commodity that affects the livelihood of many people.
Over the past year, the government under President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership has also recorded various achievements that strengthen the foundation of this cooperative program, including food price stabilization, increased absorption of farmers’ agricultural products, and improvements in Village Fund governance that are more transparent and well-directed. As a result, villages now have stronger fiscal space to develop productive enterprises such as Red-and-White Village Cooperatives.
Viewed in its entirety, the target of 60,000 Red-and-White Village Cooperatives is no longer merely an ambitious number, but an ongoing agenda for transforming the rural economy. With policy support, infrastructure development, human resources, and cross-institutional synergy, village cooperatives have the potential to become a new foundation for a more just and sustainable national economy.
Ultimately, the success of this program will not only be measured by the number of cooperatives established, but by how far prosperity truly returns to the hands of rural communities. At that point, the call for all stakeholders to jointly safeguard and utilize Red-and-White Village Cooperatives becomes increasingly relevant as a shared path toward Indonesia’s economic self-reliance.
*) The author is a Community Activist – Center for People’s Community Empowerment
