PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Ministry of Cooperatives held a National Internship activity for the administrators of the Red and White Village/Sub-district Cooperative (KDKMP) in the agricultural sector at the Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School, Bandung, on (23–30/8/2026).

This activity is part of an effort to improve the competence of administrators while strengthening the business capacity of cooperatives in the agricultural sector.

Thirty-six KDKMP agricultural sector administrators from various regions across Indonesia participated in an eight-day internship. They had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the management practices of agricultural cooperatives, which have developed by integrating business activities from upstream to downstream.

Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School was chosen as the learning location because it is considered to have experience in developing agricultural-based cooperatives and integrating production processes, agricultural product management, and marketing.

The Head of the West Java Province Cooperatives and Small Business Office, Yuke Mauliani Septina, said that Al-Ittifaq's experience could be an important lesson for KDKMP administrators, especially in building sustainable agricultural businesses.

“Al-Ittifaq has demonstrated how agricultural cooperatives can grow by integrating processes from upstream to downstream,” Yuke said.

He advised participants not to simply look at the results achieved by Al-Ittifaq, but to understand the process that makes this business ecosystem work.

“We advise all interns to make the most of this opportunity.

"Don't just look at what Al-Ittifaq has successfully built, but also learn about the process, how to build farmer trust, how to manage production and post-harvest, how to maintain supply continuity, and how to build relationships with the market," he said.

According to Yuke,
Understanding this process is important so that KDKMP administrators are able to develop business models that suit the potential of their respective regions.

Thus, cooperatives not only function as economic institutions in villages, but are able to act as a link between farmers, production processes, distribution, and markets.
The internship activity was opened by the Deputy for Talent Development and Cooperative Competitiveness of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Destry Anna Sari.

In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of loyalty and understanding of the management towards the main objective of the cooperative, namely to provide benefits for all members.

“Loyalty grows from the understanding that the success of the cooperative is the success of all its members,” said Destry.

He also encouraged the administrators to be able to read the economic potential that exists in their respective regions and develop it into relevant business activities.
"Furthermore, administrators are required to identify local potential and transform it into relevant businesses, such as agricultural processing, digital marketing, and establishing strategic partnerships," he said.
This internship program is part of a series of competency development programs for KDKMP administrators, covering all business and agricultural sectors. In total, 90 KDKMP administrators participated in the program, consisting of 54 participants from the all business sector and 36 from the agricultural sector.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Kopontren Al-Ittifaq welcomed the internship program. He hoped the collaboration would not stop at learning activities but could develop into a broader partnership.
"But we also hope that in the future, this kind of relationship can develop to a higher level, from just a location for activities to a development partner," he said.
He added that Al-Ittifaq's experience is expected to provide broader benefits to cooperatives in various regions.
"Because we believe that useful knowledge and science do not stop at the Al-Ittifaq Cooperative," he said.

(West Java Communications and Information Service/Agustin Purnawan)