When The President Sees Various Medan Craftsmen's Products 'Exhibited' By Kahiyang Ayu

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo opened the Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair (INACRAFT) 2022 exhibition which featured various handicraft products created by Indonesian craftsmen.

The INACRAFT 2022 exhibition will be held from March 23 to March 27, 2022 at the Senayan Convention Center in Jakarta. President Joko Widodo officially opened the 2022 Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair (INACRAFT) exhibition which showcases various handicraft products created by Indonesian craftsmen.

Jokowi invites the public to love domestic production, especially handicraft products that will advance the economy of craftsmen and MSMEs.

"I invite people to love domestically produced products, especially handicraft products. This will advance our craftsmen, promote our MSMEs," he said.

At the location, Jokowi reviewed a number of booths created by artisans from various regions. Well, Jokowi also looked at the craftsman exhibition that was displayed by the Medan City Government led by Bobby Nasution as mayor.

Meanwhile, the handicraft exhibition stand brought by the Medan City Government was 'guarded' by Kahiyang Ayu, Jokowi's daughter. Kahiyang Ayu is the Chair of the Regional National Crafts Council (Dekranasda) of Medan City.

The largest handicraft industry exhibition in Southeast Asia, INACRAFT, was held again after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year, INACRAFT comes with the theme "Smiling Heritage of West Java; From Smart Village to Global Market". This exhibition will be held on a hybrid basis and the public can also visit the exhibition site free of charge. A total of 722 participants attended this exhibition, consisting of 510 individual participants, 169 participants assisted by the service, and 43 participants assisted by BUMN.

Then, there are 150 merchant stores for each online activity. Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Manufacturers Muchsin Ridjan hopes that this year's INACRAFT can help boost the economy, including online.

As the largest handicraft industry exhibition in Southeast Asia, INACRAFT is one of the exhibitions that is always awaited by activists and enthusiasts of domestic handicraft products.

The event was initiated by the Association of Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Manufacturers, which was first held in April 1999.

The presence of the exhibition is considered to be the prima donna for craft craftsmen and entrepreneurs and the most awaited buyers or overseas handicraft enthusiasts, which will certainly have an impact on increasing exports of MSME handicrafts. Various interesting crafts such as ceramics, woven, glass, shoes, bags, and various jewelry were displayed at the event.