Kabupaten Tangerang, Dec. 6 -- Indonesia's cooperatives ministry has urged local Merah Putih village and urban cooperatives across the country to maximise their agricultural potential to help strengthen national food security.

Deputy Cooperatives Minister Farida Farichah said on Saturday that rural areas hold vast natural resources that remain underused.

"The potential of our villages must be pushed forward because Indonesia's natural resources are largely found in rural areas," she said in Tangerang, Banten.

She said agricultural optimisation can be carried out by all Merah Putih village and neighbourhood cooperatives, which could then generate a positive domino effect for local economies.

"We want these cooperatives to fully maximis...