Jakarta, March 17 -- The Red and White Village Cooperatives planned in rural Indonesia are envisioned as strategic instruments for alleviating poverty among rural residents, Deputy Minister of Social Affairs, Agus Jabo Priyono, has said.

"A majority of people classified as poor and extremely poor reside in villages. Mr. President has demanded that extreme poverty be dealt with by 2026, and I want the Red and White Village Cooperatives program to be on point," he added.

In a statement received from his office here on Monday, Priyono cited National Single Social and Economic Data (DTSEN), which shows that Indonesia is home to 24 million economically disadvantaged residents, 3.17 million of whom fall in the extremely poor category.

He the...