Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has set a target of operating at least 60,000 Red and White Village Cooperatives nationwide by the end of December 2026 to accelerate economic growth across sectors.
Prabowo said 25,000 Red and White cooperatives are expected to be operational by March-April, expressing confidence that the target of 60,000 cooperatives would be achieved by the end of 2026 despite challenges in implementation.
"By the end of December, I hope we will reach at least 60,000 Red and White cooperatives. That means our economy will rise in all sectors," Prabowo said during the inauguration of 166 People’s Schools in 34 provinces, which was broadcast online on Monday.
He acknowledged that the government continues to face various challenges in rolling out the cooperative program but emphasized that all related parties are working hard to address the obstacles.
The Ministry of Cooperatives has identified several key challenges, including low public participation and awareness of cooperatives’ importance, negative public perception due to troubled cooperative cases, uneven economic potential across villages and limited technological adaptation, and concerns over fraud or sustainability without professional management.
The ministry has sought to address these issues by improving human resource capacity, modernizing management systems, and fostering transparent governance to strengthen cooperatives’ institutional foundations.
In addition to strengthening cooperatives, the president highlighted progress in the Free Nutritious Meals program, which has so far reached around 58 million beneficiaries, including schoolchildren, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and the elderly.
According to Prabowo, the program has distributed approximately 3 billion meal portions to date. He added that the government is targeting more than 82 million beneficiaries and is confident the target will be achieved by the end of this year.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia Galuh Prayudhia, Martha Herlinawati
Editor: Primayanti
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