The MoU was signed by the chairperson of Central KONI, Lieutenant General Marciano Norman, and the ministry's secretary, Arif Rahman Hakim, here on Tuesday in the presence of Cooperatives and SMEs Minister Teten Masduki.
Norman urged Indonesian sports actors, specifically all provincial KONIs and sports branches, to prioritize domestic products, especially if their quality can compete with imported products.
"KONI and the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry will bring something meaningful for domestic products," he remarked.
Central KONI has around 1,200 sports MSME mentees across Indonesia. He said he expects the cooperation to bolster MSME skills for producing more quality products and services, expanding promotion, and obtaining certification, among other things.
According to Norman, the cooperation is a form of commitment from KONI to utilize and support domestic products.
"To this end, I have asked for support from the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry to provide a space to support sports industry actors in Indonesia," he said.
Meanwhile, Masduki expressed his optimism over the future of the Indonesian sports industry due to the cooperation with Central KONI.
"Insya Allah (God willing), the cooperation with KONI will strengthen the people's economy," he remarked.
He said he believes that the collaboration with KONI will have a strategic impact in terms of bolstering the national sports ecosystem.
"I am very happy to cooperate with KONI. I am optimistic that it can drive the sports industry," he added.
The government is currently supporting the utilization of domestic products and services in other sectors, he noted.
"The government has established that 40 percent of its spending should be used to purchase domestic products. This can create jobs for two million people without much investment," he explained.
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Translator: Dadan Ramdani, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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