Minister Of Trade Zulhas Targets The Digitization Of 1,000 People's Markets And One Million MSMEs

Minister of Trade, Zulkifli Hasan. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Trade)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan or Zulhas targets the acceleration of digitization in 1,000 people's markets and 1,000,000 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) traders throughout Indonesia in 2022-2024.

"I really hope that digitalization of trade carried out in the people's market and MSMEs can be one of the efforts to accelerate Indonesia's advanced and inclusive economic growth," said Trade Minister Zulhas as quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, July 17.

With a number of more than 64 million, continued Zulhas, Indonesian MSMEs have great potential to accelerate the digital transformation of the trade sector and contribute to the growth of Indonesia's digital economy.

This is in line with President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) order for the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) to digitize people's markets, so that people's markets have marketplaces and platforms for the digital era that has now entered our country.

However, according to him, the digitalization of the market should not have an impact on the closing of conventional markets. That is, an online ecosystem is built and an offline ecosystem is developed.

Therefore, Zulhas established a policy for the Ministry of Trade to cooperate with Bank Indonesia (BI) through the Healthy, Innovative, Safe, Use (SIAP) program for Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS); use of market shops through Tokopedia; use of ride-hailing through Grab; and implementation of a market website, price information and recording of market turnover through the Trading Facility Information System (SISP).

In addition, the application of information on prices of basic necessities through the Basic Needs Market Monitoring System (SP2KP); and the implementation of electronic payment of user fees through regional and national banks.

The Minister of Trade continued that until July 2022 there were 2,047 people's markets using the market website through the SISP; 9 people's markets on-boarding digital marketing at Tokopedia; and 537 people's markets utilize e-monitoring of basic material prices through SP2KP.

In addition, 9.7 million MSMEs utilize SIAP QRIS, 106,702 merchants have used electronic retribution payments that are on-boarding and utilize digital platforms, as well as plans to implement GrabMart opening for market traders in nine cities in Indonesia.