Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, Budi Arie Setiadi, said women currently make up about 49 percent of Indonesia’s 29.8 million cooperative members and 38 percent of cooperative operators.
"Women are the backbone of cooperatives," he said during the 2025 National Working Meeting of the Family Empowerment and Welfare (PKK) Movement in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday.
He noted that President Prabowo Subianto has instructed the establishment of 80,000 Red and White Village Cooperatives across Indonesia. The initiative will officially launch in Klaten, Central Java, on July 19.
"These rural cooperatives will offer a wide range of goods and services, including basic staples, medicines, healthcare, storage, transportation, and financial services such as savings and loans," Setiadi explained.
He emphasized that the cooperatives are intended to serve as engines of grassroots economic activity and help stabilize prices by shortening distribution chains — ultimately benefiting both consumers and producers.
The minister also highlighted that the Ministry of Cooperatives is currently running 16 programs to support the development of cooperatives, including legal reforms and assistance in managing public oil wells.
"Red and White Village Cooperatives will also support the Free Nutritious Meals program," he added.
Setiadi affirmed that President Prabowo is committed to revitalizing cooperatives as a key pillar of Indonesia’s national economy.
"Under President Prabowo’s leadership, we aim to restore the central role of cooperatives in Indonesia’s economic system," he said.
He also expressed confidence in the potential of women involved in the PKK movement to help drive the initiative’s success.
Meanwhile, East Kalimantan Governor Seno Aji said the province is fully prepared to implement the program.
"Here in East Kalimantan, we’ve already established Red and White Cooperatives in every village," he said.
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Translator: Ahmad R, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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