Indonesia to Deploy 30,000 Village Cooperative Managers Starting August 2026

Indonesia is set to deploy around 30,000 managers for its village cooperatives, known as Kopdes Merah Putih, starting in August 2026. These managers will be placed in cooperatives across the nation after completing their training. The deployment will occur in phases as the construction of physical facilities, such as warehouses, outlets, and supporting infrastructure for Kopdes Merah Putih, nears completion. "God willing, by early August they will have finished their training and we will immediately place them in all Kopdes Merah Putih, which coincides with the completion of the physical construction of warehouses, outlets, and equipment," stated Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Managers will be assigned to their home regions to ensure they understand local characteristics and can manage the cooperatives effectively. The training program includes national defense training and managerial training for cooperative managers. This program was previously known as reserve component (Komcad) training but has been modified following an evaluation that included the deaths of five participants. The national defense training duration has been reduced from one month to two weeks. Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Cooperatives Farida Farichah announced that the prospective managers will undergo cooperative managerial training from July 17-31, 2026. This training covers 12 modules, including cooperative philosophy, regulations, practices, institutional management, operational management, and digitalization. The training will be conducted at the same facilities used for national defense training, but the curriculum and instructors will be coordinated by the Ministry of Cooperatives. Participants will also undergo a competency test for professional certification from the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP) to ensure that Kopdes Merah Putih is managed by professionals. Data from the Kopdes Merah Putih Information System as of July 2, 2026, indicates that out of approximately 35,000 verified cooperative outlet construction sites, about 20,000 are currently under construction, and 14,000 Kopdes Merah Putih outlets are 100 percent complete.