KemenkopUKM Seeks To Raise MSMEs In Labuan Bajo From A Downturn

Kemenkop trains MSME Labuan Bajo NTT in digital marketing and skills. (Photo: Humas KemenkopUKM)

JAKARTA - The government, through the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, continues to strive to boost micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially in five super priority tourist destinations. One of them is in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

KemenkopUKM held training for cooperatives and SMEs to adapt in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, through increasing production and digital marketing.

Deputy of Human Resources Development at KemenkopUKM, Arif Rahman Hakim, said the training was held as support for tourism areas.

Arif said the training had been held in five super priority destinations, namely Lake Toba North Sumatra, Mandalika NTB, Borobudur Magelang, and this time in Labuan Bajo, NTT. Then, the training will also be continued in Likupang Minahasa Utara, North Sulawesi.

"The training we are doing here is to support tourism areas. The training materials provided are related to supporting tourism areas," he said, after opening the KUMKM Exis and Able to Adapt during the Pandemic and New Normal COVID-19 Period in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency. , NTT, Monday, September 14.

Furthermore, Arif explained, the training carried out included tour guides, craft players, culinary product processing, agriculture, fisheries to entrepreneurship in order to increase digital marketing.

KemenkopUKM targets MSME players in Labuan Bajo destinations to have knowledge, in dealing with changes in marketing decline and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The target to be achieved is that MSMEs players are expected to have the knowledge to be able to adjust to the existing changes. The changes that are experienced are those who experience a decrease in marketing," he said.

Arif said that the Kemenkop UKM also provided materials about digital marketing on pages of government catalogs, namely LKPP and BUMN. In fact, the collaboration was carried out with Telkom to train MSMEs proficient in e-commerce and digital market applications.

"We work together and coordinate with LKPP and Telkom to provide application training on the government website, the procurement defense application for BUMN and digital market applications (PaDi)," he said.

Meanwhile, West Manggarai Regent Agustinus Ch. Dula admitted, COVID-19 had made MSMEs in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency, slumped. For that, his party expressed his gratitude to the government through KemenkopUKM which provided training for 270 MSE actors in Labuan Bajo, NTT.

"COVID-19 has plunged MSMEs in Labuan Bajo. I thank the KemenkopUKM for training MSMEs here so they can rise up," he said.

This training, said Agustinus, is very important to improve the quality of human resources. Labuan Bajo tourism is very dependent on MSMEs. Agustinus said that MSMEs were an indicator of an economic increase or decline.

"This training is very important for Labuan Bajo MSMEs. Because tourism here is very dependent on MSMEs. MSMEs directly produce, conduct transactions and sell," he said.

Agustinus hopes that the training will make MSMEs selected, competent and produce superior Labuan Bajo human resources. Digital marketing is very necessary for MSMEs to be more competitive.

"Mainly maintaining quality. I believe training for digital and marketing. So MSMEs have a high opportunity to market digitally," he said.

For your information, the event was also attended by Special Staff of MenkopUKM Fiki C Satari, Deputy Assistant for Standardization and Human Resources Certification of KUMKM Retno Endang Prihantini, Regent of West Manggarai Agustinus Ch. Dula, Head of the Cooperative Industry and UKM West Manggarai Fransiscus Sukur.