The initiative, known as the UMKM BISA Ekspor program, is designed to encourage MSMEs to expand their market reach through exports.
This cooperation was discussed during a meeting between Trade Minister Budi Santoso and founder as well as chair of ACSB Indonesia Hermawan Kartajaya here on Monday.
"The Ministry of Trade invites more export stakeholders and MSMEs to leverage this program. We hope that the UMKM BISA Ekspor can encourage more exports," Santoso noted in a statement here on Tuesday.
The two discussed efforts to enhance the UMKM BISA Ekspor program through five approaches, with the first being encouraging the Indonesian Chinese Social Association (PSMTI) under the ACSB and the Indonesian Marketing Association (IMA) to play the role of MSMEs' aggregators.
Those aggregators can then participate in business matching to support the UMKM BISA Ekspor program. The second measure is supporting training for prospective trade representatives.
Furthermore, ACSB can play a role in MSMEs' development. Lastly, the Ministry of Trade can participate in an event of ACSB held in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Milan, Italy, on May 5–7, 2025.
Minister Santoso noted that under the UMKM BISA Ekspor program, 72 business matching events were held in January 2025.
The business matching resulted in transactions of US$5.2 million, comprising US$1.55 million purchase orders and US$3.67 million potential transactions agreed in MoUs.
In January 2025, some 196 MSMEs had actively participated in business matching activities. They include MSMEs in the sectors of food and beverages, coffee, spices, furniture, handicrafts, medical devices, and chemical products.
The business matching has succeeded in bringing together MSMEs with more than 25 buyers in more than 10 trading partner countries actively exploring opportunities for cooperation with exporters.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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