Jakarta (ANTARA) – The government intends the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP) program to help rural regions strengthen their economies by downstreaming their leading commodities, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said.“Cooperatives must drive downstreaming efforts to market and process marine and plantation yields into products with greater added value for the benefit of rural residents,” he noted in a statement cited Thursday.Speaking at a national seminar on the KDMP program in Ternate, North Maluku, on Wednesday (Aug. 5), Hasan emphasized the importance of the province leveraging its fisheries and plantation potential through cooperatives.The minister expressed confidence that village cooperatives have the capacity to generate greater added value from tuna, coconuts, nutmegs, cloves, and other featured commodities across North Maluku.“Do not focus on selling commodities in their raw form,” he said, reiterating the need for downstreaming measures.Hasan added that the government envisions KDMPs serving as offtakers for produce from local farmers, planters, and fishers by linking them with industries and markets, thereby simplifying supply chains and increasing incomes.During the seminar, the third after similar events in Jakarta and South Sulawesi, the government outlined progress in implementing the national priority program.As of Aug. 5, land has been secured for 35,857 village cooperative facilities. Of those, 19,491 have been completed, while the remainder are under construction. The facilities include offices, warehouses, and grocery stores.On the same occasion, North Maluku Governor Sherly Tjoanda highlighted the Red and White Fishing Villages (KNMP) program, which aims to improve living standards in coastal communities.She reported that six KNMPs had been established in North Maluku, with another 12 planned.The government expects the synchronized implementation of the two programs to advance downstreaming, create jobs, improve welfare, and transform villages into new centers of economic growth.