Minister of Cooperatives, Small, and Medium Enterprises, Teten Masduki, made the statement during the Antara Ngobrol Bareng program on the official Antaranews Instagram account on Wednesday.
"Our MSME actors are business actors in the informal sector who do not have a legal entity. Now, we have made it easier for micro-business actors to obtain company registration numbers through digital applications. This facility is also being given to those who want to create individual PTs and cooperatives," he said.
Masduki said that there is an urgent need for MSMEs to become legal entities to enable them to develop their business. MSMEs that are legal entities can get business opportunities and cooperate with other parties, he informed. They can also access financing from banks, he added.
The minister also emphasized the need for certification for MSME products. He gave the example of halal certification provided by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the distribution permit from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) for food, beverage, and drug products.
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"In the future, obtaining a distribution permit from BPOM is very crucial, especially for SMEs that produce food, beverages, including herbal products. Then, halal certification is also crucial to obtain. We will even assist MSMEs entering the global market to obtain certifications requested by foreign markets," he informed.
Masduki said that Indonesian MSMEs are starting to recover from the economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The recovery, he said, can be seen from the indicators of bank credit being channeled more to MSMEs.
The minister said that People's Business Credit (KUR) of Rp285 trillion, which was bigger than Rp190 trillion in credit recorded in 2021, has been well absorbed by MSME actors. Meanwhile, offline MSME turnover has shrunk from 80 percent to 30 percent, he added.
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Translator: Katriana
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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