Jakarta, Indonesiapost.com – Deputy Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Ahmad Riza Patria, has urged the managers of Red and White Village Cooperatives to establish their offices and outlets in existing buildings within their villages.
Speaking at the launch and meeting on Tuesday in Gorontalo, Patria explained that utilizing existing structures would help reduce the capital expenditure needed to establish these cooperatives. This initiative is part of efforts to accelerate the formation of Red and White Village Cooperatives across the country.
“Cooperatives are businesses, and like any business, they need to generate profits,” Patria said. “If cooperatives can make a profit, they will have the potential to grow.”
He emphasized that cooperatives, by offering affordable goods, could contribute to greater prosperity for local communities. “The more affordable goods available, the more people will thrive. That’s why cooperatives must be profitable,” he added.
Read Also: Young People Urged to Contribute to Village Development Efforts
Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Yandri Susanto, also spoke at the event, praising the local government in Gorontalo—from the governor to the village heads—for their efforts. He highlighted that the formation of village cooperatives in the province had reached 100 percent.
To streamline coordination, Susanto announced that the Red and White Village Cooperatives task force at the provincial, district, and city levels will now be directly chaired by governors, district heads, and mayors.
The Indonesian government has successfully met its goal of establishing 80,000 Red and White Village Cooperatives. As of Monday, 80,002 cooperatives have been formed across the country.
Looking ahead, the next step is to accelerate the legalization of these cooperatives, with the process set to be completed by late June 2025. The cooperatives are scheduled to be officially inaugurated on July 12, 2025, in celebration of National Cooperatives Day. (BL)