KSP: The Quality Of Domestic Products Can Compete With Other Countries

JAKARTA - The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) believes that the quality of domestic products will be better and can compete with other countries' products in line with the government's efforts to prioritize the use of local products in the procurement of goods and services.

"That's what we hope for, so that domestic products (PDN) can be hosted in their own country," said KSP Main Expert Edy Priyono in a statement, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, June 14.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has instructed all levels to increase the use of domestic products, as stated in the Presidential Instruction of the Republic of Indonesia (Inpres) Number 2 of 2022 concerning the Acceleration of Increasing the Use of Domestic Products and Products of Micro, Small Business, and Cooperatives in order to succeed the Proud National Movement Made in Indonesia in the Implementation of the Government's Procurement of Goods/Services.

President Jokowi in the Presidential Instruction instructed all levels of the central and regional governments to establish and change policies to accelerate the increase in the use of domestic products and empower micro, small businesses (UMK) and cooperatives.

Central and local government officials are also asked to plan, allocate, and realize the procurement of government goods/services using domestic products in ministries/agencies (K/L) and local governments (pemda).

According to Edy, the government's commitment is very big to increase domestic products. In fact, he said, the government remains committed to prioritizing buying domestic products over foreign products, if there is a not too big difference in price and quality between the two products.

"Therein lies the government's commitment. If the difference with imported products (in terms of quality or price) is not too big, there is no problem for the government to spend its budget for PDN. The direction of government policy is like that," said Edy.

With the government's procurement of goods and services that prioritizes PDN, Edy believes that local products will be the host in their own country.

President Joko Widodo once emphasized that taking sides with domestic products must be done in tandem with efforts to improve product quality and also arrange competitive prices. This is so that domestic products can compete with similar products from abroad.

Domestic producers of goods, said the President, must improve quality, improve the packaging of goods and also improve the quality of marketing in order to be able to compete with foreign products.

"From the producer's point of view, they must continue to improve their quality, improve their packaging, improve their designs so they can follow trends," he explained.

The President said that domestic producers of goods must be able to optimally utilize the domestic market and the enormous purchasing power of the people in order to create benefits and added value for the national economy.