"I hope our products that are already good will be (made) even better and the orientation is to be exported. This is also in accordance with the spirit of the Ministry of Trade to ensure MSME products are ready for exports," he said at a Proud of Indonesian Products webinar, which was followed online on Monday.
MSMEs contribute 63 percent to the national gross domestic product (GDP), he noted. This figure needs to continue to be improved to boost the development of foreign trade.
Currently, the ministry has forged 34 trade cooperations on five continents. The effort is a form of support from the government to provide convenience to export players and MSMEs.
According to him, the Proud of Indonesian Products National Movement (Gernas BBI) is playing a strategic role and must be promoted among the community to keep domestic trade moving.
"This is so that people can take part in taking a strategic step to improve trade, of course, through shopping and providing many stimuli to Indonesian products," he explained.
He further said that MSMEs absorb 97 percent of the workforce. As of the end of 2022, at least 20 million MSMEs have entered the digital ecosystem. The figure is expected to continue to rise so the use of local products can increase.
"I am sure, believe, and optimistic that the target of 30 million MSMEs to onboard (to digital platforms), digital MSMEs in 2024 will be achieved," the deputy minister affirmed.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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