Launching SHW Center, Hardjuno: MSMEs Last Fort Of National Economic Defense

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - The contribution of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to the Indonesian economy is very significant. When the Indonesian economy and the world were hit by COVID-19, the people's business sector was very strong and even became the last bulwark of the economic sector during a crisis.

"It is undeniable that MSMEs are also affected by the impact of COVID-19, but still exist today. This confirms that our MSMEs are very strong," said Founder (Constructor) as well as Chairman of the Sharia Foundation Hardjuno Wiwoho (SHW) Center, Hardjuno Wiwoho during the Launching SHW Center, in Jakarta, Friday, September 29.

The Launching SHW Center event began with the Gratitude and Compensation of Orphans at the SHW Center Headquarters. For this reason, the SHW Center strives to make the MSME sector the backbone of the national economy.

"MSMEs must be the locomotive of economic driving in Indonesia through concrete actions that are directly felt by small communities," he said.

Currently, Hardjuno explained, SHW Center has opened two MSME business units, namely drinking water and chicken farming.

"These two business sectors are already running," he added.

According to him, MSMEs have a very important role in the country's economy, because the MSME sector is the largest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Data states that the contribution of MSMEs to GDP reaches 60.5%, and to employment is 96.9% of the total absorption of national labor.

Not only that, the MSME sector also absorbs the most labor, and is relatively resistant to financial crises.

Furthermore, Hardjuno explained that during the great economic crisis in 1998, many large companies fell, but many MSME sectors continued to survive. Even the economic activity of MSMEs in Indonesia has become the savior of a country that is currently slumping.

"So we have a very large opinion on MSMEs. During the pandemic, we saw a lot of MSMEs slumped, but now, we see so many, MSMEs that were previously slumped have returned to normal operations," he explained.

Hardjuno emphasized that the role of MSMEs during this pandemic is very important because MSMEs act as a means to eradicate small communities from poverty.

"In addition, the contribution of MSMEs to the economy in Indonesia is in the form of job providers and employment, providers of safety networks, especially for low-income people to carry out productive economic activities and open investment opportunities," he added.