Jakarta, June 17 -- Deputy Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Ahmad Riza Patria, has asked the managers of Red and White Village Cooperatives to set up offices and outlets in existing buildings in their villages.

The use of existing buildings would help save capital expenditure on village cooperative establishment, he explained at a launch and meeting on Tuesday on accelerating the establishment of Red and White Village Cooperatives in Gorontalo, as per a statement issued the same day.

Cooperatives are essentially businesses, so they must generate profits, he said.

According to Patria, if cooperatives turn a profit, they will be able to grow bigger.

"The more goods with cheap prices, the more people would b...