Thousands of Village Cooperatives on Agricultural Land, Central Java Province Awaits Central Government Guidance

Central Java authorities are awaiting direction from the central government regarding the handling of village cooperatives, known as Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDKMP), that have been established on land designated for sustainable agriculture. The province currently has over 1,100 KDKMP built on land crucial for food production.

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This we are also waiting for the policy direction.

Sumarno, the Provincial Secretary of Central Java, stated that the issue is being processed with the Ministry of Agraria and Tata Ruang/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) and involves local governments. He indicated that the provincial government is also in the process of revising its spatial plans, particularly concerning protected rice fields (LSD) and their relationship with sustainable agricultural land (LP2B).

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Hopefully, this can also be resolved in collaboration with us, along with the process for RTRW in relation to LP2B.

Sumarno explained that when reporting the presence of buildings on LP2B to the Ministry of ATR/BPN, the provincial government included not only KDKMP but also residential and commercial areas. Current regulations stipulate that if LSD or LP2B land is used or changes function, it must be replaced. The province awaits central government guidance on whether a similar replacement scheme will apply to the KDKMP.

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So whether the scheme for KDMP will also be like that, we are also waiting for direction from the center.

Several factors contribute to KDKMP being built on LP2B, including village governments preparing land that appeared to meet requirements without a comprehensive assessment. The National Strategy for Corruption Prevention (Stranas PK) team has visited Central Java to review KDKMP development, including the use of LP2B, and is pushing for legal clarity to prevent fraud or misuse in land designation.

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They also push from the legal aspect later. Actually, the direction is the same from the KPK friends, supporting that there is no fraud or misuse in the designation of these areas.