Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Cooperatives and state-run logistics company Bulog discussed a cooperation scheme to maintain price stability, affordability, and availability of food by promoting the role of cooperatives in regions.
Cooperatives Minister Budi Arie Setiadi stated after the meeting with Bulog in Jakarta on Thursday that the collaboration will be carried out by targeting various strategic commodities, especially rice, corn, soybean, and meat.
"The involvement of cooperatives is also expected to increase people's enthusiasm to join cooperatives," the minister remarked.
He explained that the cooperation scheme would encourage cooperatives in regions to play a role in 1,596 warehouses of Bulog spread across 33 provinces, with a storage capacity of four million tons.
On the same occasion, President Director of Bulog Wahyu Suparyono explained that under the cooperation that will be established, his side is encouraging farmers, who are members of cooperatives, to support unhusked rice distribution and absorption by the state-owned company.
"Be it for distribution and absorption of rice from farmers, I have asked for approval from the cooperatives minister to be able to cooperate with cooperatives," he remarked.
Suparyono noted that technical details of the cooperation between the Cooperatives Ministry and Bulog will be set out in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that both parties will sign in the next few days.
