Minister reminds MSMEs to also focus on meeting domestic demand

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Minister Maman Abdurrahman asked MSME players to also focus on meeting domestic demand, with a potential market of 280 million people, in addition to targeting export markets.

"Export is one of MSMEs' targets, but the domestic market should not be overlooked," he said as quoted from his ministry's press statement here on Wednesday.

According to him, the Ministry of MSMEs is currently seeking to tackle the issue of imported products flooding the domestic market. Protection measures have become a main focus to secure the growth of MSMEs.

Abdurrahman affirmed that there are several efforts that can be made to ensure MSME players can contribute more to the economy.

He noted that MSMEs must be able to enter the modern retail ecosystem and digital platforms to expand their market and secure their businesses, which requires their products to be innovative and meet established standards.

He also stated that MSME players must have business literacy, master technology, and good business management.

Furthermore, he underlined that MSME players must have access to capital and credit guarantees.

In this regard, the government has provided support through the low-interest-rate People's Business Credit (KUR), which has reached 2.29 million debtors with a total loan of Rp132.7 trillion (around US$8.1 billion) as of the first half of 2023.

The minister underscored that ensuring business legality is also an aspect that must receive attention. As of June 30, the Ministry of MSMEs has facilitated the issuance of 1.44 million Business Identity Numbers, 2.34 million halal certificates, and Indonesian National Standard (SNI) certificates for millions of MSMEs.

"The acceleration of licensing certificates issuance for MSMEs is aimed at improving their competitiveness so that MSMEs can grow and compete with products from other countries," he remarked.

He further said that MSMEs' participation in the government's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, such as by becoming suppliers, also boosts the business growth of MSMEs.