Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) need at least two years to produce components with quality meeting the qualification of Brand Holder Agent (APM), a senor official said.

"It is not enough SMEs to be fostered only one year. They need two years to produce quality that is in accordance with the standards of APM and large industries," SME Director General of the Ministry of Industry, Gati Wibawaningsih, said here on Tuesday.

The director general made the statement after attending a business meeting among automotive component SMEs, brand holder agents (APM) and large industries in Jakarta.

She said, so far, Automotive Component SMEs in Indonesia have produced various accessories as well as car and motorbike parts whose quality is in accordance with the APM standards.

"SME proves its ability to innovate and develop component products that so far have been fulfilled by imports," Wibawaningsih said.

?Fostering quality component production built through partnerships between SMEs and large industries, according to Wibawaningsih, is one of the efforts to reduce imports of components, parts and accessories.

"Of course our (Ministry of Industry`s) target is reducing imports up to 0 (zero) percent," said Wibawaningsih.

The import value of four-wheeled or more motorized vehicle parts in the range of January to June 2018 reached US$2.06 billion, an increase of 33 percent in the same period in 2017.

The "Link and match" business meeting activities among Automotive Component SMEs, Brand Holder Agent (APM) and Large Industries at the Ministry of Industry, Jakarta, Tuesday, connected at least 100 SMEs with 19 APMs and large companies.

Hundreds of SMEs came from several cities on Java, including Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Karawang, Bandung, Pasuruan, Purbalingga, Yogyakarta, Tegal, Klaten, and Sidoarjo.



Reporting by Genta Tenri Mawangi

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
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