The expectation is that we could all synergize
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Synergy between parties could help reach the target of enabling 30 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to make the digital transition by 2024, the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry has said.

"The expectation is that we could all synergize. Yesterday, we held a National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) concerning Indonesia's MSMEs and digital transformation," Fiki Satari, an official from the ministry, said at an online media conference on Thursday.

"We certainly expect multi-national corporations, such as Google, to help in terms of insight and conditions, and we encourage MSMEs to enter the digital ecosystem and in accordance with the market needs," he added.

Moreover, the government is encouraging digital service providers to help prepare the digital ecosystem from upstream to downstream, which could be optimally utilized by MSMEs, he informed.

He then urged MSMEs to make products using local commodities so they can compete in a broader market within the existing digital ecosystem.

"The government is also providing various financing alternatives to MSMEs, such as micro loan (KUR), which we have specifically designed based on MSMEs' problems per sector," he elaborated.

The government has decided to encourage 30 million MSMEs to undergo the digital transition by 2024. To meet the target, 6 million MSMEs need to go digital every year, he pointed out.

According to Satari, around 15.6 million, or 26 percent of MSMEs, have been connected to the digital space this year. This figure is relatively huge compared to last year, when it was pegged at 13 percent or 8 million MSMEs.

The government is also planning a digitalization program to bolster MSMEs' competitiveness, he informed.

Satari has also urged entrepreneurs to implement the health protocols and get vaccinated, citing the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant in a number of countries.

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Translator: Arnidhya Nur Z, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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