Government Aims for First Red-and-White Cooperative Payment by September

JAKARTA, Jakartaweekly.com—The Indonesian government aims to complete all administrative requirements for the Red-and-White Village Cooperatives (Koperasi Desa Merah Putih) and Red-and-White Urban Village Cooperatives (Koperasi Kelurahan Merah Putih) by August 2026, allowing the first installment payment to the Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara) to be made before it falls due in September.

The target was announced by Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan following a limited cabinet meeting chaired by President Prabowo Subianto with ministers of the Red-and-White Cabinet at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (July 23, 2026).

According to Zulkifli Hasan, the government is accelerating the verification and validation process to ensure that all requirements are completed on schedule, enabling the first installment payment to proceed as planned.

“We are working hard to ensure that all requirements are completed this August, so that before September the first installment for the Red-and-White Village Cooperatives and Red-and-White Urban Village Cooperatives can be paid to Himbara,” Zulkifli Hasan said.

The installment payment was one of the key issues discussed during the meeting, which also focused on accelerating the development of the Red-and-White Village Cooperatives, Red-and-White Urban Village Cooperatives, and Red-and-White Fishermen Cooperatives (Koperasi Nelayan Merah Putih).

During the meeting, President Prabowo instructed all ministries and government agencies to fully support the development of the Red-and-White Cooperatives. The initiative will also receive assistance from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) to ensure its implementation nationwide.

The government has also designated the Red-and-White Cooperatives as the primary distribution channels for subsidized goods and government assistance. Under the new scheme, various government programs will be distributed through village and urban village cooperatives.

Zulkifli Hasan added that President Prabowo had instructed all relevant agencies to complete operational preparations for the Red-and-White Cooperatives so that the public could begin benefiting from the program after October 2026.