SOE Deputy Minister Tiko: MSMEs Continue to Grow in the Third Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Deputy Minister of SOEs II Kartika Wirjoatmodjo. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of SOEs)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of SOEs II Kartika Wirjoatmodjo said the MSME industry continued to grow in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic or in 2022.

He said, this further proved the ability of the MSME industry to become the backbone of the Indonesian economy.

Tiko, Kartika Wirjoatmodjo's nickname, revealed that although MSMEs were under pressure at the beginning of 2020, the swift action of all elements of society in building awareness and love for local MSME products succeeded in re-establishing the face of the Indonesian economy.

The government is moving quickly to maintain the growth and development of MSMEs while at the same time encouraging efforts to recover and improve the national economy, one of which is the launch of the Proud Made in Indonesia National Movement (Gernas BBI) by President Joko Widodo on 14 May 2020.

To appreciate MSMEs, the Ministry of SOEs became the campaign manager, the Proudly Made in Indonesia Award (ABBI) in 2022 which had been on hiatus for a year due to the pandemic. This event is part of Gernas BBI.

"This event is a form of appreciation for local MSME entrepreneurs who have contributed greatly to the strengthening of Indonesia's economy after the pandemic. At the same time, it is a form of concern for economic fighters who do not give up on developing the quality of their products," Tiko said through an official statement, Wednesday, December 14 .

Tiko revealed, the process of determining the best winner of the 2022 Proud Made in Indonesia Award had gone through a curation and selection process by various competent parties, as well as involving the wider community through an online voting process from November 22 to December 9, 2022.

From around 300 MSMEs that underwent curation, 12 finalists were selected representing four categories namely fashion, culinary, beauty and fitness, and crafts.

For Small and Medium Industries (IKM), based on the assessment of the jury, four Inspiring IKMs have been selected which are considered capable of having a positive impact in the social, economic, and environmental fields.

"Congratulations to the 2022 ABBI Inspiring MSMEs and IKM finalists. Hopefully, by holding this event, we can improve the quality of Indonesian MSMEs and

introducing production and creativity to the general public and becoming a global player so that it increasingly echoes the Proud Made in Indonesia movement," he said.

During the Proud Made in Indonesia National Movement (Gernas BBI), there were an additional 12.6 million entrepreneurs who opened their online shops on the marketplace platform. Thus, more than 21 million MSMEs have joined the national digital ecosystem.

In addition, 25 provinces in Indonesia have held a series of MSME digitization activities.

Not only encouraging the growth of MSME entrepreneurs and their local products, Gernas BBI also echoes a sense of pride for the country by buying and using local products, especially from the micro and small business sector.

Thus, it is hoped that local products made by Indonesian MSMEs will be more victorious in their own country.

In the records of the Indonesian E-Commerce Association (idEA), sales of local products during the annual post-pandemic Harbolnas discount party have increased significantly.

At the 2021 National Harbolnas, total transactions were recorded at IDR 18.1 trillion, with sales of local products reaching IDR 8.5 trillion.