JAKARTA (March 6, 2025) — Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) supports the Red and White Village Cooperative, which is in synergy with poverty alleviation programs, especially in rural areas.

"In the development of 70 thousand Red and White Village Cooperatives, MoSA is very supportive because this village cooperative development program is in synergy with poverty eradication programs in villages," said Vice Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono in a discussion meeting at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Thursday (6/3/2025).

According to him, synergy between ministries and institutions in overcoming poverty problems is very important as a solution to social problems that have not been resolved so far.

The implementation of the synergy program also carries the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN) as a reference. The results show that almost 40 percent of the poor in Indonesia work as farm laborers. The majority of this community group lives in villages.

The formation of village cooperatives is also expected to create new business opportunities and empower rural communities to escape extreme poverty. "With this village cooperative, we hope to work together with MoSA to eradicate poverty in the villages," said Agus Jabo.

The establishment of the Red and White Village Cooperative is considered a strategic step to support the poverty alleviation program ordered by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto. Through cooperatives, village communities not only receive assistance but are also empowered to be economically independent.

"This cooperative is one of the solutions to transform poor communities into empowered, productive, and independent communities," continued Vice Minister Agus Jabo.

Community empowerment is one of the keys to overcoming the problem of poverty. MoSA is trying to ensure that poor communities can gain access to work or do business, by creating more business opportunities. "The government must provide jobs for those who want to work, as well as business opportunities for those who want to do business," said Agus Jabo.

The importance of collaboration between ministries in this program is also highlighted. "The problem of poverty is an economic-political problem that must be resolved comprehensively, from upstream to downstream," said Agus.

High hopes are pinned that Indonesia can reduce the number of extreme poverty and achieve the target of significantly reducing poverty by 2025 and beyond.

"We hope that this program can be a strong synergy between ministries, to empower communities and reduce poverty," explained Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo.

Minister of Cooperatives Budi Arie Setiadi also believes that the Red and White Village Cooperative has an important role in realizing the village community empowerment program, as well as being a driving force for the village economy. "Today we are holding a coordination meeting with ministries and institutions to follow up on the President's order regarding the establishment of the Red and White Village Cooperative," he said.

In the meeting attended by the Minister of Cooperatives, Vice Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Ahmad Riza Patria, and other officials, the establishment of the Red and White Village Cooperative was determined to be the main focus point to address the challenges of poverty in Indonesia, especially those related to the agricultural sector and farm laborers.

In addition, community school program was also discussed, which is also part of poverty alleviation efforts. According to data, almost 74 percent of the poor in Indonesia only have an elementary school education, which is one of the inhibiting factors for them to escape poverty.

With full commitment and support from various parties, it is hoped that the Merah Putih village cooperative can bring real change to the village community, making them more empowered and independent.