During the dialog, President Jokowi sought information on the condition of the woodcrafts business amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, how is the sale?" Jokowi questioned.
Ketut and Mary from Bali informed the president that sales had dipped by 50 percent, though he was optimistic that the country would be able to tide over the COVID-19 pandemic quickly.
Ketut and Mary added that their works had, so far, been marketed in galleries both at home and by renting kiosks at tourist sites.
The president suggested that the mother and son migrate to a digital platform to offer their products.
"If you can move to a digital platform, some products could be re-sold offline, while some others could be sold online. I think it will help to increase the turnover of Mr. Ketut and Mrs. Mary," President Jokowi remarked.
Ketut and Mary were optimistic of the government’s help to switch to a digital platform. They invited President Jokowi to stop by their residence in Ubud while on a working visit to Bali. President Jokowi here, Thursday, launched a national campaign, bearing the hashtag #BanggaBuatanIndonesia, to promote products made in Indonesia.
The national movement is testament to the government's support and encouragement to Indonesians to use domestically made products, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his remarks at the inauguration event held via videoconferencing, the president noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian people must harness their strengths.
"We must look again at what our strengths are, once again what our strengths are and what are our weaknesses. What is lacking, the shortcoming. Of course, we must immediately improve, and our strengths must be utilized," Jokowi remarked.
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Translator: Rangga PAJ, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
