Ministry Of Industry Aims For New Markets To Improve Industrial Productivity

Deputy Minister of Industry Faisol Riza. (Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI)

The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) noted that currently, the utilization or production capacity used by the Indonesian manufacturing industry has only reached 61.9 percent.

There is still more than 30 percent left to be maximized.

Deputy Minister of Industry (Wamenperin) Faisol Riza said, to encourage increased production and employment, the government is now aggressively looking for new markets outside of traditional commodities.

"If there is no new market, our production is just that much. There will be no additional production and there will be no additional workforce," said Faisol at the Prabowo-Gibran Government 1 Year Event in Jakarta, Thursday, October 16.

Faisol assessed that strengthening the market is a big homework for the national industrial sector.

He regretted that Indonesia had not been able to take advantage of the huge potential of the ASEAN market.

He sees China's efforts are currently hit by the high tariff imposed by the United States (US), but can still have good trade performance with the use of the ASEAN market.

"They take ASEAN seriously. So, while we see that we haven't worked on the ASEAN market optimally. We haven't worked on the ASEAN market optimally," he said.

The politician from the National Awakening Party (PKB) gave an example, an Alfamart outlet founded by an Indonesian named Djoko Susanto, has now spread to open 2,000 outlets in the Philippines.

Menurut Faisol, potensi perdagangan akan semakin diuntungkan dengan berdirinya gerai besutan lokal di luar negeri, sebab produk asal RI bisa dikenal lebih luas oleh konsumen mancanegara.

Kemudian, kata dia, kehadiran gerai asing yang beroperasi di Indonesia dengan perusahaan dalam negeri, turut membawa peluang pembukaan pasar perdagangan lebih optimal. Misalnya dengan kehadiran Circle K, Family Mart dan Lawson.

"Kami berharap, outlet-outlet itu bisa menjadi duta perdagangan kami untuk awal mula kami membuka pasar lebih luas, supaya ekspor kami lebih banyak," jelas Faisol.

According to Faisol, the potential for trade will increasingly benefit from the establishment of local outlets abroad, because products from Indonesia can be known more widely by foreign consumers.

Then, he said, the presence of foreign outlets operating in Indonesia with domestic companies also brings opportunities for the opening of the trade market to be more optimal. For example, with the presence of Circle K, Family Mart, and Lawson.

"We hope that the outlets can become our trade ambassadors for the beginning of our opening up wider market, so that our exports are more," explained Faisol.