Lebak, Banten, Sept. 12 -- President Prabowo Subianto is pressing ahead with a nationwide drive to strengthen cooperatives as a pillar of Indonesia's economy, with the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP) programme at its core, the country's cooperatives minister said Friday.

"We are exerting all-out efforts to help the president in this cause," Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono said at the launch of village cooperative operations in Lebak District, Banten.

He stressed that Prabowo is fully committed to expanding cooperatives across the country, convinced they can play a crucial role in boosting the welfare of Indonesians, especially in rural areas.

The KDMPs are designed to reduce poverty by providing rural households with a...