Denpasar (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan has urged governors across Indonesia to hold monthly meetings to monitor the progress of the Merah Putih Village and Urban Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih).“We ask governors to guide district heads, and district heads to guide village heads. If possible, governors should meet with district heads once a month,” said Zulkifli, commonly known as Zulhas.
Speaking at the Consolidation and Acceleration Meeting for the Operationalization of Kopdes Merah Putih in Denpasar on Friday, he said the meetings are intended to ensure consistent supervision and support for the program.
He also suggested that district heads or mayors hold biweekly meetings with village heads to resolve issues more swiftly.
As an example, he cited the price gap between the government purchase price for unhusked rice—Rp6,500 per kilogram—and the Rp5,500 per kilogram currently received by farmers from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). With better coordination, such discrepancies could be promptly reported and addressed at the provincial level.
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“This is about working together. The President’s vision is for villages to become centers of economic activity that drive local growth, and this requires support,” Zulhas said.
He noted that implementing Kopdes Merah Putih would take at least three years of consistent support. Unlike previous welfare approaches that focused on social aid, this initiative aims to empower communities through sustainable cooperatives.
“In the past, we gave direct assistance, but that often led to loan defaults. Now, we want to do things the right way,” he said.
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As head of the National Task Force for Kopdes Merah Putih, Zulkifli urged regional leaders to ensure that cooperatives in every village adopt viable business models.
He outlined seven suggested models: fertilizer outlets, LPG distribution points, grocery stores, Himbara bank agents, logistics services, rice and unhusked rice trading, and pharmacies.
“For farming villages, becoming a fertilizer distributor is automatically profitable due to subsidies. The cooperative would handle distribution directly to farmers, with no additional permits from Pupuk Indonesia,” he explained.
“This is about removing middlemen in villages. Currently, rice sells for Rp8,000, but farmers only get Rp6,500. That means there are middlemen we must eliminate together,” he added.
