Six Red-and-White Cooperative Buildings Completed in Central Papua

Nabire — — Six buildings for Indonesia’s Red-and-White Village/Urban Cooperatives (Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih, KDKMP) have been completed in Central Papua, with four facilities in Nabire Regency and two in Mimika Regency, according to local military officials and regional media reports on Sunday, 20 September 2026.

The outlets form part of a national program launched by the central government to use village-level cooperatives as hubs for distributing subsidised goods and absorbing locally produced items. The initiative is being rolled out across Indonesia, with buildings constructed in many regions before full operations begin.

The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) have been assigned to support the physical construction of KDKMP buildings in a number of districts, including Central Papua. In Nabire, officials report seven construction sites in total, of which four buildings have been finished and three were above 95 percent completion as of 20 September 2026. In Mimika, two planned outlets have reached full construction completion.

Buildings finished, operations still being prepared

Completion of the buildings does not mean the six Central Papua outlets are already serving the public. Lieutenant Colonel Arh. Dwi Palwanto Tirta Mentari, commander of Military District Command 1705/Nabire, said further preparation is required before the facilities can operate, including administrative arrangements and staffing.

According to the same official, the next phase involves assistance for cooperative managers covering administration, supply-chain preparation, and sales activities, as well as training to strengthen the capabilities of local cooperative administrators. No specific opening dates for the outlets in Nabire and Mimika have been announced.

The cooperative model is organised at village level. Colonel Inf. Fajar Wibawa Angkasa, head of the territorial section at Regional Military Command 173/PVB, said the general principle is to establish one Red-and-White cooperative in each village, with the order of construction determined by population and settlement patterns.

Officials are prioritising locations with a sufficiently large community base. They have cited a baseline of around 500 households for village eligibility, alongside technical requirements such as adequate land and electricity. For the Central Papua sites, authorities have applied criteria including a minimum land area of roughly 600 square metres and electricity capacity of about 5,500 watts.

National rollout and verification

The Nabire and Mimika projects are part of a wider national construction program for Red-and-White cooperatives. According to the Home Affairs Minister, around 24,000 KDKMP buildings across Indonesia had been erected by mid-September 2026 and were undergoing verification to ensure they meet construction specifications before being handed over for use.

The Ministry of Cooperatives has separately targeted 17,288 KDKMP units whose physical buildings are complete to be ready for operation by late September or early October 2026, following verification, review, handover and placement of cooperative managers. As of early September, government data recorded more than 83,000 KDKMP entities formed nationally, with many still in various stages of construction and preparation.

In Central Papua, local officials in Nabire and Mimika have also mapped additional potential sites beyond the six completed outlets, but further construction will depend on land readiness and fulfilment of technical conditions. Nationally, the government is still refining governance and funding arrangements for the KDKMP program, which has been designated a priority initiative for village economic development and the distribution of subsidised goods.

Sources

• Tribun Papua Tengah
• Investortrust.id
• Suara.com
• Detiknews
• Metro TV News