Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Government's traditional market revitalization program is the right step to revive the people's economic activities, according to Ahmad Heri Firdaus, an economic observer.

The market revitalization program did not only attract the people to shop in traditional markets but also improve their access to their daily needs, Firdaus, a researcher of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), said in a statement here on Monday.

"The relevance is firstly it again attracts consumers to shop in (revitalized traditional) markets. Besides, it also improve the public's access to their main needs," he said.

Currently the public prefer to shop in convenient places, he noted. The market revitalization program will also benefit small and medium scale entrepreneurs, he remarked.

The Trade Ministry has planned to revitalize a total of 1,037 traditional markets during 2019.

Last year, the Government revitalized 4,211 traditional markets across Indonesia by using specially allocated funds. The program has helped increase the traditional markets' turnover by 20 percent.

The program has maintained the existence of traditional markets and even strengthen their survival amid competition with modern markets.

Reporting by Satyagraha, Fardah

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