On Friday, at an event entitled “Total Pride in Knowing Local Product” in Surakarta, Central Java, secretary general of the ministry, Dody Widodo, said that the ministry’s efforts to support the development of local products include the Domestic Products Use program and assistance to industry players.
"To develop local products, we need to encourage our families and relatives to buy and use products made in Indonesia. This will improve our economy significantly,” he said, according to a statement.
The Domestic Products Use program is being pursued by optimizing the expenditure of state and regional budgets as well as state-owned enterprises' budget; easing the Domestic Component Rate certification for small and medium industries; promotion; and information dissemination, he added.
The ministry is also assisting in other types of certifications, such as those related to national standards and intellectual rights, and offering packaging sites as well as guidance to industry players, Widodo disclosed.
He then drew attention to one success story of local capabilities improvement in Tumang, Boyolali, Central Java, in which a copper industry was developed with the help of special allocation funds. Currently, there are three centers based on the area's unique commodities, those being furniture, coffee, and copper products.
"Indicators of success in Boyolali industry development is zero unemployment rate as well as the involvement of investors in that area. It is proven that the center can improve village economy based on each's ability," he informed.
However, there are still challenges to developing local products, especially in order to penetrate the global market, he said. The challenges include maintaining consistency in terms of quality and quantity, as well as securing a steady supply of materials, he elaborated.
On the same occasion, the founder of Eboni Watch, Afidha Fajar Adithya, related the story of his wooden watch business.
He listed the aids he received from the government to support the empowerment of his domestic business.
"One of the assistance we get from the Industry Ministry is being involved in the Creative Business Incubator at the Bali Creative Industry Center (BCIC)," he said.
Founder of PT Indotech Trimatra Abadi, Antonius Agung, also shared his experiences in the business of making coffee roasting machines. He said that the ministry provided several kinds of assistance, such as during ISO certification, for exports, as well as for participation at Hannover Messe 2023 some time ago.
"We build business through collaboration. Experience at Hannover Messe last time also showed a vast opportunity for collaboration," he informed.
He said that during Hannover Messe, his company explored a collaboration opportunity with a company from the Netherlands for creating a coffee capsule made of 60 percent biodegradable materials.
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Translator: Ade Irma Junida, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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