VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Industry Ministry has proposed soft loans for small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to help them pay laid-off workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This was stated by Director General of Small, Medium, and Multifarious Industries of the Industry Ministry Gati Wibawaningsih on Saturday as quoted by Antara. Since COVID-19 cases were firstly confirmed in the country in early March, small- and medium-scale businesses have registered a 50-70 percent decline in sales. According to Ms Wibawaningsih, the ministry had worked closely with online shops, including Tokopedia, Shopee, Blibli, and Buka Lapak, to help in marketing the products of SMEs. Wibawaningsih pointed out that SMEs in the country were also reeling from the impacts of a scarcity of raw materials, particularly imported ones. Hence, the Industry Ministry has worked on cooperation with the domestic raw material industry to produce and supply raw materials for local SMEs. The government has also issued a policy on postponing credit payment for SMEs in a bid to lessen the burden on businesses//Ant