Menko Airlangga Brings Good News, He Ensures The People's Economy Remains Moving

Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto. (Photo: Doc. Coordinating Ministry for the Economy)

JAKARTA - In order to monitor the MSME Support Program which is included in the National Economic Recovery Program (PEN), the Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto visited one of the community empowerment groups, namely the MSME business in Surakarta City. This MSME activity also focuses on training and assistance to MSME actors.

On that occasion, 8 MSMEs with ultra-micro and micro types of business displayed their products that were engaged in, among others, in the fields of daily necessities (grocery), warteg, foodstuffs, processed foods, mineral water/gas/kerosene agents, and school needs.

"MSME Efforts invite people to build the Indonesian economy starting from their smallest environment, namely by shopping at their own MSMEs or neighboring stalls. For this reason, MSMEs Efforts focus on training MSMEs at home who are close to the community and directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, through the WirausAHA Maju program," said Coordinating Minister Airlangga, at one of the locations assisted by MSMEs in Jayengan Village, Serengan District, Surakarta City, Thursday, September 23.

Through the WirausAHA Maju Program, MSME businesses have succeeded in providing training to 11,325 MSME actors from 28 regencies/cities throughout Java. For the Province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) alone, 2.080 MSME actors have been successfully provided with training.

This also received the attention of the Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, who on that occasion also hoped that MSMEs could continue to develop every existing potential so that they could operate on a larger scale.

In this first wave, micro-entrepreneurs were given better business management training. The training materials provided include, among others, the basics of entrepreneurial attitude and mindset in general, including consumers or customers, sales or profit, and other themes, then tips on opening a business and marketing products.

There is also the Borong Usaha business program, which is an assistance program for micro-enterprises in need, in the form of product purchases. Products purchased can be used for social activities, for example, distributed to the public for free, or sent to residents who are self-isolating.

"It was conveyed that MSMEs business also had an application called WirausAHA as a way to monitor the business processes of MSME actors who had been trained. Training is the most important thing to increase capabilities and later assistance will also be provided. Here banks are ready to encourage, especially the average MSME entrepreneur (in Jayengan) this has more than 5 years of experience," said Coordinating Minister Airlangga.

Coordinating Minister Airlangga then had a relaxed dialogue with MSME actors, asking about the development of their respective businesses. He also appreciated the business environment in Gang Jayengan which was quite good at organizing Prokes by providing a place for washing hands. The visit ended by providing symbolic business equipment assistance.

Also accompanying the Coordinating Minister for the Economy in the activity was the Deputy for Macroeconomic and Financial Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, the Deputy for Food and Agribusiness Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, the Deputy for Coordination for SOE Business Development, Research and Innovation at the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, and the GM of the BNI Small Business Division.