Indonesian President Joko Widodo officially opened the National Working Meeting of the Indonesian Market Management Association -Asparindo in 2018 on Wednesday (12/12). On this occasion, the President supported the creation of a market ecosystem that was integrated online and offline. President Jokowi said, currently traditional markets in Indonesia have quite high competitiveness in terms of prices with modern shopping centers. Nevertheless, traditional markets still have challenges, especially in terms of order and cleanliness. This should receive attention government so that traditional markets are not abandoned by buyers. According to the President, in addition to traditional market rejuvenation efforts, the steps to sell traditional market products using technology also need to be developed.
"Therefore it is necessary to go forward. It is necessary to build a connected online and offline ecosystem. The market is offline, how can it be connected to the online one. The two systems must be connected, the market is fast developing. Because on the price side it can compete, the figure is indeed far away. 2,000 with 3,400, 2,000 with 3,500," said President Joko Widodo.
Furthermore, President Joko Widodo said that the payment system in traditional markets should also use Electronic Data Capture-EDC which can minimize the use of cash payments. According to Jokowi, the introduction of such technology is aimed to enhance traditional market competitiveness among a number of modern shopping centers. Regarding this, the President at the opening of the Asparindo National Working Meeting, themed Digitizing the People's Market, asked the Minister of Communication and Informatics, Rudiantara to intervene so that this program could run immediately. (VOI/Ndy/AHM)