Jokowi Wants The Furniture Industry To Be Able To Compete In The Global Scene

President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. (Photo: Doc. Setpres)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) wants Indonesian furniture and handicraft industry players to be able to increase the competitiveness of the products they produce. According to him, this effort must be made immediately in order to be able to penetrate the global market.

Furthermore, Jokowi said, the national furniture industry also benefits from the abundance of resources it has. From raw materials, the large area of production forest and the many types of trees make production costs cheaper.

In terms of human resources (HR), the furniture workers in the country have unquestionable expertise. Moreover, in terms of local wisdom, Indonesian people are rich in culture and works of art.

"Indonesia can be the right arena because the furniture industry is rich in raw materials, rich in works of art and has a very large (domestic) market capacity. But I advise Indonesian furniture industry players to increase competitiveness in the global market," he said. at the Indonesia International Furniture Expo (Ifex) Virtual Showroom, Monday, September 20.

The former governor of DKI Jakarta said that the competitiveness of the furniture industry is not only in terms of quality and production capacity. Instead, they must be able to uphold the values of local wisdom and the culture of the archipelago. So that the resulting product is able to provide its own color compared to other products.

In addition, Jokowi also emphasized the importance of sustainable and environmentally friendly production. This is because the trend of industrial development on the international stage is a sustainable and low-carbon industry.

Jokowi said, the trend of financing by banks will tend to target industries that have special attention to the environment in running their business.

Therefore, according to Jokowi, the furniture and handicraft industry players are asked to immediately change the pattern of production to be more environmentally friendly.

"This spirit must be held firmly because the financing scheme and the market will emphasize the spirit of sustainable development," he said.