COOPERATIVES EXPECTED TO HELP BOOST ECONOMY

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 13 (Antara) - Cooperatives is one of the main pillars of Indonesia's economy apart from the private sector and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). But so far, its contribution to the national economy is still small, accounting for only 3.9 percent.          Hence, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), while addressing the 70th anniversary of Cooperatives Day in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday (July 12), has called on the Indonesian Cooperatives Council (Dekopin) to help boost Indonesia's economic growth through cooperatives development.          Minister of Cooperatives and SOE Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga stated on the occasion that the ratio of the entrepreneurship cooperative movement in 2013 reached 1.55 percent and doubled in 2016 to 3.01 percent for two and a half years.          Although it is still smaller than that in Singapore, which is at five percent and Malaysia at six percent, yet at least, there is an increase. Indonesia has performed cooperatives reform movement by developing cooperatives and closing down as many as 43 thousand 'sick' cooperatives.          There are still 152 cooperatives in the country and half of them (76 thousand) remain healthy and the other half are 'sick.'

INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT TO REFORM ITS COOPERATIVES

By Andi Abdussalam

          Jakarta, Dec 9 (Antara) - Cooperatives are not yet able to benefit people in an equitable manner, prompting the government to consider bringing in reforms and empowering them so that members benefit and the poverty rate comes down.
        Indonesia's Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Anak Agung Gede Ngurah (AAGN) Puspayoga, has announced plans to totally reform the cooperatives to ensure equitable economic benefits and cut down unemployment and poverty rates.
        The move will have a positive impact on the regional and national economic growth.
        The cooperatives reform program will be carried out through rehabilitation and database update. The government is also drafting a new cooperatives law which will serve as an effective legal basis for the development of cooperatives in the future.
        The draft law of cooperatives will replace Law No. 17 of 2012 which was scrapped by the Constitutional Court.    
   Law No. 17/ 2012 was issued to replace Law No.25 of 1992 which was seen as incapable of accommodating the interests of developing cooperatives.
         Deputy for Institutional Development of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Meliadi Sembiring, added that the draft law on cooperatives will accommodate all inputs from various quarters, including cooperatives stakeholders.

GOVT ASSIGNS COOPERATIVES TO DISTRIBUTE FERTILIZERS TO FARMERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 11 (Antara) - The government hopes that farmers will not run short of subsidized fertilizers after it increases the role of cooperatives in the supply of the commodity.          Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga said the role of cooperatives as the distributors of agricultural commodity will be revived.          The minister noted that cooperatives as the pillar of the nation's economy played the role of a distribution center that makes available stocks such as fertilizers, seeds, and business capital.         "Admittedly, there are many obstacles to restore their role, particularly of the Village Cooperative Units (KUD). Not all of them can serve as distributors. Therefore, we will reorganize and develop them in stages," the minister stated during his working visit to Malang, East Java, last Saturday.          Minister Puspayoga added that cooperatives have been assigned to act as the distributors and retailers of subsidized fertilizers.          On the occasion, the cooperatives minister was accompanied by Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel.

GOVT TO BUILD MODERN SHOPS TO BOOST COOPERATIVES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 8 (ANTARA) - The government is determined to boost the development of cooperatives in the country, increase their  number to about 200,000 and build at least 260 modern retail cooperatives shops called "UKM Marts".         "We will develop 260 UKM Marts across the country in 2013," Neddy Rafinaldi Halim, a deputy for the development of business networks of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small Businesses, said here on Monday.          This is in line with the program of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small-and-Medium Businesses which will increase the number of cooperatives units from 194.295 in 2012 to 200,000 in 2013 and build UKM Marts at potential points across the country.          According to Cooperatives and Small Scale Enterprises (UKM) Minister Sjarifuddin Hasan, the increase in the number of cooperatives to about 200,000 this year is expected to raise the capacity of cooperatives in absorbing workers.         "It is a fact that the increase in the number of cooperatives also raised the number of workers they could absorb," the minister said.