President Prabowo Subianto, in an official event in Bentangan Village, Klaten Regency, Central Java, launched the 800,081 Merah Putih Village Cooperatives with the aim of empowering the people economically and putting an end to the exploitation by middlemen and loan sharks that have long affected farmers in rural areas. Prabowo, who has been addressing these issues since his time as Chairman of HKTI in 2004, highlighted the challenges faced by farmers such as post-harvest losses due to inadequate logistics. He also pointed out the difficulties in accessing subsidized fertilizer caused by bureaucratic hurdles. Furthermore, Prabowo discussed the issue of farmers being taken advantage of by middlemen who manipulate prices and the reliance on loan sharks. The implementation of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives is seen as a significant step towards breaking the cycle of exploitation that has been ongoing for generations in Indonesia. This initiative aims to provide farmers with better opportunities and fairer treatment in the agricultural sector.
President Prabowo’s Merah Putih Village Cooperatives: Ending Middlemen & Loan Sharks
