The Merah Putih Village Co-operative: A Pillar of Food Sovereignty and Self-Sufficiency

The government's ambition to embody food independence or food self-preservation doesn't seem to be playing games. Food Swasembada is first in line for 17 President Prabowo Subianto's priority program.

Meanwhile, in the 12-year 2025 Number 2025 press on the National Med Development Plan (RPJMN) in 2025- 2029, the food swasembad comes in number two on the government's Asta Gita list.

"Commencing the national security defense system and pushing the nation's independence through the food self-sufficiency, energy, water, economy, the digital economy, the green economy and the blue economy."

In order to do that, the government has determined the Operation Village and the White Complaining (KDKMP), as its main pillar emits food self. In his speech at the inauguration of 1,061 KDKMP in Nganjuk, East Java on May 16, President Prabowo Subianto called KDKMP the economic center of society.

Prabowo claims he wants the provision of fertilizer so that the farmer's crops can be used through KDKMP.

"White village cooperative is prepared to be the central economic service center of the people from fertilizer to crop absorption. It's a real step to establish village-based food sovereignty," he said.

Meanwhile, in a national Cooperative Day speech in Jakarta, Prabowo re-confirmed KDKMP as a public economic center at the grass or rural roots. He strictly forbids the practice of buying subsidies, and asks for them through Kopdes or KDKMP.

Prabowo estimates the operational Red Copdes can increase the economic rotation of the village to Rp223 trillion every year. In addition, the income of farmers, farmers, and fishermen is projected to increase by around Rp202 trillion per year.

"KDKMP will later be an integrated economic service center. Inside are cooperative offices, grocery stores, loan services, village pharmacies, village logistics, storage, cold storage, and all kinds of economic services," he said.

The Prime Red Coupdes announced President Prabowo on July 21, 2025 in the Village of Benchery, Wonosari, Klaten District, Central Java. Back then, he revealed the launch plan 80,081 Kopdes across the region in Indonesia.

With that amount, the government wants every village to have at least one Red White Copdes unit.

"Today is indeed a historic day. We started a big effort. This cooperative is a big strategic effort," said Prabowo in his speech.

Until September 2026, or about a year after it was announced, the government claimed to have built 10,000 units or Kopdes outlets. Despite that amount, only 3,300 have been operating effectively. Prabowo targeted 30-40,000 KDKMP has stood up and operated optimal to the end of 2026.

"And our target late in 2026, had 30,000 red-and-white operatives standing up and operating well," in his speech at the MPR Annual Court at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, August 14.

Per October, Menko Pangan Zukifli Hasan a.k.a. Zulhas claims 26,000 Kopdes units have been built. The government requests that eight thousand of them be prepared to start operating simultaneously from October 15th.

Meanwhile, about 45- 50,000 others will be built at stage two starting the next 2027.

"Brothers, from tomorrow we will do monitoring, yes, actually yes to all of these Kopdes.

The practice of the Kopdes is passed through President's Instructions (Inpress) Number 9, 2025 and President's Rule number 82, 2026. The press regulates management, digital monitoring systems, funding models, to the showing of PT Agrinas Food Nusantara as operational bodyguards.

Meanwhile, Inpres called it a total of 18 ministries and institutions involved in the execution of the program. From the Food Ministry as a coordinator, the Ministry of Cooperation as a regulator, the Ministry as a land provider, to the Army TNI as a territorial monitor.

"Mr. President ensures that the Red White Village Cooperative, Red White Evasion Cooperation must certainly be supported by all ministries. Also supported by TNI and Polri," said Zulhas 23 July.

Main Director Agrinas, Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota explains the construction of KDKMP is monitored online. From filing land, verification, development, to management.

He made sure the process was transparent, professional, and supported by a tested digital system.

"KDKMP development is digitally monitored, started from the ground filed, verified, started building and management transparent, supported by a digital system already proven," Joao Mota was contacted on Tuesday (13 / 10).

The White Kopdes Treasury Schemes are set up in the Treasury Regulations of the Minister (PMK) Number 15 in 2026. Despite using cooperative nomenclature, KDKMP or KDMP was built using APBN.

The government has set the Rp3 billion ceiling for every Copdes. That includes early capital. Fund channeled through the Agrinas PT as a contractor and executioner. Eventually, APBN will be paying the mortgage for the financing through the County Transfer Fund.

APBN will take from Village Fund for operatives at the village level. Whereas, to the level of isolation taken from the General Allocation Fund or the Results Fund.

The government will also bear operational costs, including training for the Red Copdes management in the first 1.5. After that, Kopdes was required to be independent.

Agricultural experts from IPB University, the Gandhi Prima judge, by concept, Kopdes or KDKMP or KDMP, strategic to support the logistics or food needs in the countryside. Because according to him, food swasembadas are hard to come by if the distribution of logistics or management results are sporadically done.

So, through Kopdes, according to him, the government wants to integrate the supply supply supply chain to minimize the leak...