inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan stated that the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative will distribute various types of social assistance to village communities.

"Food assistance and social assistance are all distributed through Merah Putih Village Cooperatives. Everything, starting with food assistance, will be distributed to 18 million recipients, a considerable amount. Also, the Family Hope Program (PKH) and other social assistance programs will all be distributed through Kopdes," said Zulkifli in Jakarta on Tuesday (3/31/2026).

Furthermore, the man familiarly known as Zulhas said that the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative is also expected to facilitate community economic activities in various ways.

He said that Merah Putih Village Cooperatives/Sub-districts can become LPG agents, assist in the distribution of Bulog rice through the rice supply and food price stabilization program (SPHP), fertilizer, and act as offtakers of village community production such as unhusked rice and corn below the reference sales price (HAP).

"As directed by the President (Prabowo Subianto), first, cooperatives can facilitate the community by acting as LPG agents, Bulog agents for SPHP rice, and fertilizer agents," said Zulhas.

"In collaboration with Bulog, in addition to supplying SPHP, Kopdes will also act as offtakers for unhusked rice," he added.

Furthermore, Zulhas stated that the cooperatives also offer access to loans with a low interest rate of 6 percent per year as an effort to protect the community from loan sharks and online loans.

He hopes that with the Red and White Village/Kelurahan Cooperatives being able to take over production in the village, they can also become the main supplier for the kitchens of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) to support the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

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