“We must support this program by ensuring all villages form a Red and White Village Cooperative,” he said at the launch and meeting on the acceleration of the establishment of Red and White Village Cooperatives in Ambon, Maluku, on Wednesday, according to a statement issued the same day.
He stressed that the cooperatives must be supported, given the program’s goal of improving the welfare of village communities.
In addition, he said that the establishment of the cooperatives is expected to eliminate loan sharks and online loan operations that are harming the community.
According to Susanto, the presence of village cooperatives would also cut the long distribution chains of goods. It will also help do away with middlemen who tend to manipulate the prices of staple goods in the market.
On the same occasion, he praised Maluku province for completing the task of forming Red and White Village Cooperatives through special village deliberations.
He said he is optimistic that the village cooperatives will be the main drivers of economy and welfare in the province.
The Indonesian government’s target of forming 80 thousand Red and White Village Cooperatives has been achieved. As of Monday, 80,002 village cooperatives have been established in the country.
The next stage will be accelerating the legalization of the cooperatives, which is targeted for completion in late June 2025.
The cooperatives are planned to be inaugurated simultaneously on July 12, 2025, coinciding with National Cooperatives Day.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
