JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, stated that the current development of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative (Kopdes) is in the finalization phase of constructing retail outlets and warehouses, as well as preparing operational vehicles.

He made the remarks during a press conference following a Limited Cabinet Meeting (Rapat Terbatas) concerning the operationalization of the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives, presided over by President Prabowo Subianto at the National Palace on Wednesday (July 15, 2026).

Minister Yandri further elaborated that once the Merah Putih Kopdes is fully operational, its functions will be maximized in accordance with the specific potential of each village. He expressed optimism that village administrations will actively support the success of the Merah Putih Kopdes, given that 80 percent of the cooperative's profits will be returned to the local community, while the remaining 20 percent will flow directly into the Village-Owned Original Revenue (PADes).

"Especially considering that Village Funds are utilized, and 20 percent of the profits from the Kopdes will become Village-Owned Original Revenue. Therefore, village governments have a vested interest in ensuring the success and triumph of the Kopdes, as it yields highly positive effects for the village, while the remaining 80 percent of the profits will return directly to the villagers," he explained.

"Consequently, I believe that village governments and their entire apparatuses will undoubtedly maximize their respective roles to continuously ensure that the diverse potentials of each village ultimately contribute to the success of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative," added Minister Yandri.

In addition, Minister Yandri noted that 10 Village Associations serve as strategic partners for the Ministry to ensure that President Prabowo Subianto's priority programs under the 6th Asta Cita (Aspiration)—building from the village and from the bottom-up for economic equality and poverty eradication—are effectively executed, including the Merah Putih Village Cooperative program.

To translate the 6th Asta Cita into action, the Ministry of Villages and PDT has established the "12 Strategic Actions to Build Villages," which includes the Thematic Village initiative—comprising Corn, Paddy, Tilapia, Catfish, and Cocoa Villages, among others.

According to him, the Merah Putih Village Cooperative, in collaboration with Village-Owned Enterprises (BUM Desa), will act as the off-taker for the commodities produced by these thematic villages based on their respective local strengths. He revealed that currently, more than 1,000 BUM Desa are actively supplying raw materials to meet the needs of the flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

With the total number of villages in Indonesia reaching 75,266, each presenting unique potentials, every Kopdes partnering with BUM Desa will work to guarantee that all village-made products are successfully absorbed and utilize them to benefit the rural population.

"Therefore, we emphasize here that we will forge close collaboration and synergy to guarantee that economic activities in villages run on the right track," concluded Minister Yandri.

Photo: Didi/Kemendes PDT

Text: Rifqi/Kemendes PDT