Indonesia to soft launch Red and White Village Cooperatives in October

Indonesian Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono announced that the Red and White Village Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih) are preparing for a soft launch of operations in October 2026. The initiative aims to establish village-level centers for economic and social services, serving as distribution hubs for logistics and subsidized goods.

To support this rollout, the government has issued appointment letters (SK) for recruited and trained managers, which include defined salaries and allowances. These managers will be deployed to cooperatives that have completed physical infrastructure, such as warehouses and outlets. Currently, approximately 23,000 cooperative buildings are reported as 100 percent complete, while another 17,000 are undergoing a verification and validation process.

The operational governance of these cooperatives is supported by a Presidential Regulation signed by President Prabowo Subianto. Data from PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara indicates that 17,288 cooperatives are already equipped with the necessary facilities and are moving toward the final handover and manager placement stages.