"In a bid to create new entrepreneurs, the Industry Ministry held ‘Innovating Jogja’, an annual event organised since 2016,"
Jakarta (ANTARA) - ‘Innovating Jogja’, a competition for the small and medium-scale industry held in Yogyakarta, is expected to encourage development of startups in handicraft and batik production in the region, the Industry Ministry said in a statement.

"In a bid to create new entrepreneurs, the Industry Ministry held ‘Innovating Jogja’, an annual event organised since 2016," Head of the Industrial Research and Development (BPPI) of the ministry Ngakan Timur Antara said Monday.

The ministry, Friday, July 26, announced the names of the 10 startups who had won the competition and would receive mentoring on the technical aspects and management, as well as production facilities from the ministry.

Indonesia would need at least four million new entrepreneurs to support the national economy, as currently, the ratio of entrepreneurs to total population has only reached 3.1 percent or some 8.06 million people, Ngakan said.

"Although the ratio has surpassed the international standard at two percent, we need to encourage more to catch up with our neighbors," he added.

He was optimistic that the event could stimulate productive, innovative and competitive startups in handicraft as well as batik production in Yogyakarta.

"Innovating Jogja is an effort to grab the benefits of demographic bonus for Indonesia," Ngakan said. The country would need more young entrepreneurs who are competent and literate in technology, in accordance with the Making Indonesia 4.0 road map, he added.

The batik industry has recorded 18.98 percent of growth, the highest growth in the textile and garment industry in the first quarter of 2019, according to data from the ministry.

Export of batik has reached US$52.44 million in 2018 and is expected to increase six to eight percent in 2019.

The batik industry is dominated by small and medium-scale industries located in 101 production centers across the country, and it absorbs 212 thousand workers.

The export of national handicraft from January to November 2018 was recorded at $823 million, from the same period of 2017 when it registered $820 million.

The ministry has recorded more than 700 thousand handicraft business units that absorb 1.32 million workers. (INE)

EDITED BY INE


Translator: Sella Panduarsa G, Sri Haryati
Editor: Eliswan Azly
Copyright © ANTARA 2019