Village co-ops key to address dominance of modern retail: Minister

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Minister of Village and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto noted that the Red and White Village Cooperatives are one of the solutions to address the dominance of modern retail in villages.”As a national strategic program, I think it is one of the keys for us to ensure that economic services are not dominated only by certain parties,” he said in a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Wednesday.This was conveyed by the minister in response to a question from Commission V of the DPR regarding efforts to address the dominance of modern retailers, which threaten micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) run by village communities.He said the village cooperatives could become a center for the people’s economy, capable of meeting various needs, from staple goods to fertilizers.He added that the village cooperatives will also be designed with a joint business system that drives the village economy without displacing small shops.In this regard, his ministry is currently coordinating with the Ministry of Cooperatives, the Ministry of MSMEs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Home Affairs to formulate regulations that will protect small businesses so they can coexist with village cooperatives.At Wednesday’s meeting, he also emphasized his stance regarding modern retail, noting that the number of modern retailers, especially in villages, should not increase as they can potentially harm the community’s small businesses.In addition to bolstering village cooperatives, the Ministry of Village and Development of Disadvantaged Regions is targeting 20 thousand village-owned enterprises (BUMDes) to join the national supply chains, including for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.”Currently, there are already about 400 BUMDes that serve as suppliers for food programs, providing everything from rice, eggs, to fish. This is part of the concept of ‘from villages, by villages, and for villages’,” he stated.He further conveyed that strengthening the village economy is also pursued through thematic village development based on local potential, such as the tilapia specialized village in West Bandung.