Tatang Yuliono, deputy for food trade and distribution coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, said the target will be supported by data from 20,000 self-sufficient villages verified by the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration.
Speaking at a national coordination meeting hosted by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jakarta, Yuliono outlined the monthly goals: 25,000 cooperatives in September, another 25,000 in October, and 15,000 in November.
To ensure the cooperatives operate efficiently with good management, he noted that it is mandatory for each village to use the digital system developed by the state-run telecommunications operator Telkom.
The system will monitor all the cooperatives' activities in real time, including the flow of goods and financial reports.
"The cooperatives only need to input the data. The system is digital, so everything can be controlled," he said.
To achieve the target of 15 thousand fully operating village cooperatives in August, the government divided the work into four areas.
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The first area comprises Yogyakarta and Central Java, with a target of 2,680 cooperatives, while the second area covers Riau Islands, North Sumatra, Aceh, West Java, Lampung, and South Sumatra, with a target of 5,800 village cooperatives.
Furthermore, the third area, comprising Jakarta, Banten, and South Sulawesi, has a target of 2,244 village cooperatives. Meanwhile, the fourth area, namely East Java and Bali, is given a target of 5,412 village cooperatives.
Each operating cooperative must meet three requirements, namely having at least one outlet, a business field, and a location that has been verified.
He noted that despite obstacles in several regions, especially Papua, the government remains optimistic that all the task forces for the village cooperatives will be formed in August.
President Prabowo Subianto officially launched around 80 thousand village cooperatives nationwide under the Red and White Village Cooperatives program in Klaten District, Central Java, on July 21, aimed at strengthening the village economy.
The cooperatives are envisaged as hubs of economic and social services in village communities, offering savings, loans, and clinic services, among others.
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Translator: Shofi Ayudiana, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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