Jakarta, July 12 -- Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Budi Arie Setiadi has said that public enthusiasm for the Red and White Village Cooperatives program has been overwhelmingly high.

"Public enthusiasm is very strong. The fact that over 80 thousand village cooperatives have been established in a relatively short period shows this," he added during a doorstop interview after the 78th National Cooperatives Day ( Harkopnas ) ceremony in Jakarta on Saturday.

The ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Cooperatives.

So far, nearly 80,500 villages and urban wards have formed their own village/sub-district cooperatives ( Kopdes/Kelurahan Merah Putih ) through special village assemblies ( musyawarah desa...