Minister Of Trade Strengthens MSMEs With Retail Sector Collaboration

JAKARTA - Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that the ministry continues to strengthen the synergy and collaboration of the retail sector by empowering micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially traditional stalls.

"The key to the success of empowering MSMEs is collaboration. With the MSME economic empowerment movement, we can host it in our own country," said Zulkifli as quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, May 6.

One of the collaborations in the retail and MSME sectors is through the launch of Mizan Mart, at the Al Mizan Islamic Boarding School in Lamongan, East Java.

Zulkifli said, Mizan Mart is a form of partnership between modern wholesale and a shop owned by the Al-Mizan Islamic Boarding School Muhammadiyah Lamongan.

With this partnership, stalls will benefit a lot, including guaranteed supply of goods at competitive prices, business assistance, modern retail management support, digitalization of payments through QRIS, as well as sales of digital products such as pulses, electricity tokens, paying bills, and others.

"It is hoped that through this partnership, the people's economy can rise. From a shop, it can be a supermarket, from a supermarket to wholesale and factories. Therefore, let's be the pioneer of economic revival," said Zulkifli.

In 2022, Indonesia's economy will grow by 5.31 percent, higher than 2021 which was recorded at 3.7 percent. Household consumption has the largest contribution to Indonesia's 2022 economic growth, which is 51.87 percent.

The retail sector, both supermarkets and traditional retail stores such as grocery stores/scaling stalls on the MSME scale, has an important contribution in encouraging the recovery of household consumption.

The retail sector (eceran trade) has an important role in restoring household consumption. This recovery is expected to further increase national economic growth.

Lamongan Regent Yuhronur Efendi appreciated Muhammadiyah for continuing to make progress in the field of business charities. Muhammadiyah has become an integral and is integrated in building and prospering the people.

"Muhammadiyah melagilan (extraordinary). Many things have been initiated and done by Muhammadiyah through its business charities. Already have universities, the best hospitals, the best schools, and now make Mizan Mart," said Yuhronur.

Regent Yuhronur said that currently Lamongan Regency is the largest producer of rice and fish in East Java and is also a national food barn. Lamongan's economic growth reached 5.56 percent in 2022 with a human development index of 74.02 higher than East Java.