VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

State-owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir has called on Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) to redevelop Indonesia's halal industry.

Indonesia has the country's largest ever sharia bank called BSI now, according to him.

"We encourage this BSI to rebuild the halal industry in Indonesia so that it can become a player to serve not only our people in Indonesia, but also serve other people in the world," Erick Thohir said in Palembang, South Sumatra, Sunday.

Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, is the fourth largest in halal industry and economic in the world.

However, when it comes to halal industrial production, Indonesia is not in the top 5 nor the top 10. This means that Indonesia is only a consumptive nation, not a productive nation, according to the minister.

Minister Erick Thohir earlier lauded the BSI Entrepreneurial Talent program launched by BSI and hoped that the program could create Muslimpreneurs in Indonesia.

The number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia reached 3.5 percent , while it should have been 10-14 percent , he said.

The minister also emphasized assistance to MSMEs in three areas, namely financing, mentoring and market access.

Previously, SOE Minister Erick Thohir hoped that the BSI Entrepreneurial Talent program launched by BSI could create Muslimpreneurs in Indonesia.

Erick Thohir really appreciated when BSI launched the program.

According to Erick, when compared to developed countries, it can reach 10-14 percent of the number of entrepreneurs, but in Indonesia alone the number is still 3.5 percent.

Regarding assistance to MSMEs, Erick said that the context was in three areas, namely financing, mentoring and market access. (Antaranews)