"One of the Trade Ministry's courses of action has been trade digitization, particularly of micro, small, and medium enterprises," Deputy Minister of Trade, Jerry Sambuaga, said in a statement received here on Monday.
The measure aims to cover one million MSMEs (250 thousand people's market traders and 750 thousand people's non-market traders) through market digitization by utilizing digital platforms in terms of transactions and payments, he said.
He made the remarks during an event entitled “Go Digital Education for MSMEs” with Deputy Minister of Trade, Dagangan and members of the North Sulawesi Young Entrepreneurs Association, which was hosted in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Saturday (January 28, 2022).
So far, the ministry has helped MSMEs access markets and sell their products through its 46 representative offices spread overseas, Sambuaga informed. It has forged 26 trade agreements to allow for easier market access.
It has also encouraged product development by allowing MSMEs to showcase their items on the https://portal-indonesia.id web page. MSMEs can use the site to introduce and promote their products digitally.
Further, the ministry will encourage the marketing of local products through the Proudly Made in Indonesia program, he informed.
The government has a crucial role in this aspect because, through its policies and regulations, the government can enable and encourage the development of MSMEs and young entrepreneurs, he said.
Besides the regulations, the ministry is consistently pursuing measures to increase the competitiveness of MSMEs through training and assistance, improve the quality of their products, and build the management capacity of business actors. The measures also include the extension of business partnerships and expansion of market access.
He also offered words of encouragement to business actors who participated in the talk show.
He said that North Sulawesi's young entrepreneurs are worthy and capable of taking advantage of opportunities to progress, become productive, and grow their love and pride for domestic products to become agents of change.
"North Sulawesi's young business actors are expected to be adaptive to changes, especially in the digital economy era. Continue to hone skills and master technology so (that you) can compete and create new innovations in making business opportunities," he added.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia G P, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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