VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) should innovate by developing more products to become more competitive in the market, according to a State-owned Enterprises Ministry's special staff.

"I suggest MSME actors (to) innovate (by creating) a new processed product because of dozens of MSME stalls I visit today, (and) majority of them process their products as krupuk (cracker)," the ministry's Special Staff for Public Communications, Arya Sinulingga, stated during a visit to an MSME bazaar in Sungailiat here, Saturday.

Innovation will help open new opportunities for MSMEs, especially if they successfully compete and excel in less competitive markets, he remarked.

"For instance, fish could be processed into various healthy and delicious foods outside krupuk or kemplang (fish cracker), as many competitors already create the same product," the ministry's official stated.

Sinulingga also suggested MSMEs to be attentive to the product packaging, as good packaging will attract the customers’ interest and extend product longevity.

He also invited MSME actors to purchase bulk packaging products suitable for MSMEs at affordable prices offered by PT PNM, a financial service company for MSMEs.

The bulk packaging products offered to MSMEs at the bazaar are provided by the State-owned Enterprises Ministry to help MSMEs reduce their production costs, he noted.

The ministry's expert staff also urged MSMEs to adjust their product marketing by focusing on the largest market potential instead of reaching a particular market target.

They must prioritize Indonesians overseas, who are keener to purchase their products instead of foreigners, he stated.

"I once brought a shrimp paste while I visited the Netherlands, but it turned out that those who were attracted most to the product were Indonesians in the country," Sinulingga recalled his experience while bringing an Indonesian product overseas.

He remarked that the 1.5 million Indonesians, who travel to Saudi Arabia annually for the Hajj pilgrimage, are also a huge potential market for MSMEs since they will need Indonesian foods during their month-long stay overseas. (Antaranews)