Minister Of Trade Zulhas Targets The Digitization Of 1,000 People's Markets

Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Trade is targeting the acceleration of digitizing 1,000 people's markets and 1,000,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM) traders throughout Indonesia.

This target is in line with President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) order for the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) to digitize the people's market.

Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan said market digitization aims to make people's markets have marketplaces and platforms towards the digital era that has now entered Indonesia.

"Market digitization will also facilitate meetings between traders and buyers and shorten the distribution chain," said Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan at the 'Implementation of Digitalization Utilization in Payment and Distribution Systems', Monday, July 25.

To achieve the target of digitizing 1,000 people's markets, the Ministry of Trade collaborates with Tokopedia.

During a visit to Cicalengka Market, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan also simulated the purchase of basic necessities using the Tokopedia application.

"Today, I saw and directly monitored the implementation of digitalization at Pasar Baru Cicalengka through the Tokopedia market place. In this market, the implementation of market digitization for the January-December 2021 period experienced an order growth of 5673 percent and sales growth of 9382 percent," he said.

Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is known, said that Indonesia, with more than 64 million MSMEs, has great potential to accelerate the digital transformation of the trade sector and contribute to the growth of Indonesia's digital economy.

"However, do not let the digitalization of this market impact on the closure of conventional markets. This means that an online ecosystem is built and an offline ecosystem is developed," explained Zulhas.

The Ministry of Trade, continued Zulhas, is collaborating and collaborating in real terms in the implementation of digitalization in the people's market with MSME players and Bank Indonesia through the Healthy, Innovative, Safe, Use (SIAP) cashless transaction program and the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS); use of market shops through Tokopedia.

Then the use of ride hailing through Grab; implementation of a market website, price information and recording of market turnover through the Trading Facility Information System (SISP); application of information on prices of basic necessities through the Basic Needs Market Monitoring System (SP2KP); and the implementation of electronic retribution payments through regional and national banks.

As of July 2022, there are 2,047 people's markets using the market website through SISP; as many as 10 people's markets on-boarding digital marketing at Tokopedia; as many as 537 people's markets use e-monitoring of prices for basic goods (bapok) through SP2KP.

It was also recorded that 9.7 million MSMEs used SIAP QRIS; as many as 106,702 merchants have used electronic retribution payments that are on-boarding and utilizing digital platforms, as well as plans to implement GrabMart opening for market traders in 6 cities in Indonesia.

Zulhas also appealed to the office in charge of trade in the regions to participate in socializing and encouraging the people's market digitization program to market managers and market traders, so as to accelerate the People's Market Digitization program in Indonesia.