Hipmi Surabaya Collaborates With 3 Regional Heads In East Java To Encourage MSME Growth

Surabaya Business Forum activity held by HIPMI Surabaya. (Photo: ANTARA)

SURABAYA - The Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) of Surabaya, East Java, collaborated with the Mayor of Surabaya Eri Cahyadi, the Regent of Sidoarjo Ahmad Muhdlor Ali, and the Regent of Gresik Fandi Akhmad Yani to encourage the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through the Surabaya Business Forum ( SBF).

Head of HIPMI Surabaya M Luthfy, in a press release in Surabaya on Sunday, said the SBF was held to strengthen the collaboration of three regional heads, namely Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi, Sidoarjo Regent Ahmad Muhdlor Ali, and Gresik Regent Fandi Akhmad Yani in encouraging MSMEs.

"We are all lucky to have regional heads who are not only young and visionary, but also have a spirit of collaboration," he said.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Surabaya, Eri Cahyadi admitted that the Surabaya City Government has many MSME empowerment programs. One of them is to allocate 40 percent of the APBD for expenditures made by MSMEs.

"So starting with paving, the need for free uniforms for students, free shoes for students, and so on, everything is done by MSMEs," said Eri.

Surabaya also has an e-Peken application which is a means for tens of thousands of ASN to shop at the City of Heroes SMEs.

Every month the transaction is around Rp. 10 billion.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Sidoarjo, Ahmad Muhdlor Ali, said that the empowerment of MSMEs in his area was carried out in an integrated manner, starting from capital, training, to marketing facilitation.

"Regarding capital, Sidoarjo has a KUR Sayang program with an interest rate of only 3 percent per year," said Gus Mudhor, his nickname.

Then there is the Independent Women's Business Card (KURMA) program which provides capital grants to women's groups in more than 8,000 RT throughout Sidoarjo.

"We want easy capital to grow more MSMEs and new businesses that can accelerate economic recovery," he said.

Meanwhile, Gresik Regent Fandi Akhmad Yani said, MSMEs are indeed a pillar of the economy in the region.

The Gresik Regency Government focuses on assisting MSMEs to be able to export their products abroad.

Various parties collaborated for this purpose, including the Directorate General of Customs and Excise and the Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI).

"For SMEs, we are very concerned about assisting. There are many that have been exported. When the market is wider, of course the production will increase, in the end it will open up bigger job opportunities for the community," said Fandi.