In a statement issued on Monday, Yudhoyono, widely known as AHY, said village development should focus on empowering residents as key contributors to economic growth.
“The government wants rural communities to become the main actors and beneficiaries of development, not merely spectators,” AHY said.
He said stronger villages would help reinforce Indonesia’s food security through grassroots economic activity.
AHY said the government’s Red and White Village Cooperatives program reflected that strategy by supporting rural economic independence.
The program aims to provide villages with trade, logistics, and distribution facilities to improve access to staple goods and stimulate local economies, he added.
The minister said 1,061 village cooperatives were ready for operation, while construction of around 9,000 additional units had been completed nationwide.
“This progress shows that collaboration, determination, and hard work can create breakthroughs for public welfare and national sovereignty,” AHY said.
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President Prabowo Subianto officially launched the operations of the 1,061 cooperatives in Nganjuk, East Java, on May 16.
Prabowo said national growth depended heavily on strengthening food security and rural economies.
He said village cooperatives were expected to become new growth engines by accelerating money circulation, shortening supply chains, and absorbing products from farmers, fishermen, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.
The president added that the government also expects cooperatives to expand access to financing, subsidized food, logistics services, and medicines for rural communities.
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Translator: Suharsana Aji, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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