The government is stepping up its efforts to build the Merah Putih Village Cooperative as the backbone of the village economy
JAKARTA – The government is accelerating the development of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative as a strategic step to strengthen the people’s economy and expand equitable development down to the village and sub-district levels. This program is designed to provide a new foundation for managing food distribution, strengthening micro-enterprises, and providing concrete support for the national development agenda, focusing on a people-based economy.
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that the physical construction of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative continues to be accelerated and is targeted for completion in May to June 2026. This target reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring that village economic infrastructure is evenly distributed and ready to support community activities.
“This can be completed, the 29,000 have already been provided with land and all sorts of things. Hopefully, it can be completed by May-June,” said Zulkifli Hasan.
The completion of the physical structure is seen as a crucial step in building a strong and sustainable village cooperative ecosystem. The government ensures that each cooperative is not only physically established but also prepared to provide comprehensive economic services relevant to the needs of the village community.
“It must contain fertilizer in the village, then 3 kilograms of gas, basic necessities, and so on, vehicles and so on,” added Zulkifli Hasan.
More than just a building, the Merah Putih Village Cooperative is designed to be a hub for local economic activity. It is hoped that this cooperative will facilitate community access to basic necessities and serve as an efficient distribution channel for the village’s superior products.
Within the national policy framework, village cooperatives will also play a crucial role in supporting the Free Nutritious Meals Program. Through this scheme, cooperatives are positioned as suppliers of raw materials and as a link between village production and the needs of strategic government programs.
“The Merah Putih Village Cooperative will supply the SPPG. The Merah Putih Village Cooperative itself will collect the proceeds from offtakers of the village’s MSMEs. So, the President’s program is all interconnected,” Zulkifli Hasan emphasized.
With this concept, cooperatives function not only as business units but also as instruments for integrated social and economic development. Agricultural products, MSMEs, and other local commodities will have more secure and sustainable markets through cooperatives.
The government believes this step will encourage villages to become new, independent and productive centers of economic growth. Synergy between national programs channeled through the Merah Putih Village Cooperative is expected to strengthen food security, increase community incomes, and accelerate equitable prosperity.
With its massive development targets and integrated policy direction, the Merah Putih Village Cooperative is projected to become a legacy of people’s economic policy with broad and long-term impacts on national development.
