JAKARTA (TimesofIDN) – Indonesia’s Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, Budi Arie Setiadi, held a meeting with Joesley Batista, the principal owner of Brazil’s J&F Investimentos, which oversees JBS SA, to discuss potential strategic partnerships for the development of the Koperasi Desa (Kopdes) Merah Putih initiative.
The meeting, held in Jakarta on Wednesday (30/7), was initiated by President Prabowo Subianto to promote impactful investments in food, energy, and financial technology sectors.
Budi Arie highlighted that J&F Investimentos’ portfolio now includes the energy sector through Âmbar Energia and a digital finance ecosystem via platforms like PicPay and Banco Original, which serve tens of millions of users, as reported by Media Indonesia.
“The Kopdes Merah Putih program is a socially impactful initiative with commercial viability,” he stated, emphasizing its role in strengthening Indonesia’s people-centered economy.
The minister underscored the government’s commitment to fostering a cooperative ecosystem open to international collaboration while upholding principles of fairness, empowerment, and mutual cooperation.
He described the meeting as a pivotal step toward synergy between global industrial strengths and Indonesia’s cooperative movement as a foundation for future economic growth.
Batista expressed keen interest in the Kopdes Merah Putih model championed by President Prabowo.
He plans to visit the cooperative’s sites to gain a deeper understanding of its best practices, with the intention of applying these insights to strengthen community-based economic initiatives in Brazil.
