VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 4 - Indonesia requires more MSMEs to export their products, for which every stakeholder must help encourage them to become exporters, according to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"I urge to offer assistance to MSMEs, so that they have better capability to export their products. I have already mentioned briefly that we need more MSMEs to become exporters," the head of state noted in his opening remarks during the 2021 Ministry of Trade National Working Meeting from the State Palace here on Thursday.

Currently, some 90 percent of the exporters are MSMEs, but their export contribution reaches a mere 13 percent. Hence, their capacity should be increased and expanded, according to Jokowi.

"Hence, I reminded the trade minister last year that the Export Support Board will be revived," he remarked.

President Jokowi is keen that all parties assist MSMEs to increase their production as well as improve their products' designs and packaging as well as quality.

"To this end, it is important to collaborate with other ministries and agencies as well as other institutions in a bid to increase the competitiveness of MSMEs in the global market," he remarked.

Jokowi called for giving serious attention to the export market and to expand non-traditional markets.

So far, the export market for Indonesian products has always been directed to the United Arab Emirates or the United States.

Indonesia must explore new markets and give full attention to them, he stated

Several countries in Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe have achieved an economic growth rate of over five percent, he remarked. (Antaranews)

Mar. 4 - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) laid emphasis on achieving Indonesia's economic growth target for 2021 in the range of five percent.

While opening the 2021 National Work Meeting of the Ministry of Trade from the State Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, President Jokowi highlighted that 2021 is the year of economic recovery after Indonesia’s economy had contracted 2.07 percent year-on-year (yoy) in 2020.

"The growth target in the State Budget of five percent must really be achieved. 2021 is a year of recovery that must be based on optimism," the president affirmed.

At the opening of the meeting, Jokowi was accompanied by Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung.

The head of state did admit to the fact that achieving this year's economic growth target was no easy task.

To this end, the head of state urged the ranks of the Ministry of Trade to put into greater efforts and abandon normative ways of working.

To this end, the Ministry of Trade should issue creative and innovative policy breakthroughs to promote economic recovery.

"I urge everyone to work hard, and I request that trade policies contribute to our strategic agenda for national recovery," he stated.

"We have to work in new ways since everything has changed. Leave behind the old ways," the president stressed.

The president called for the trade ministry to maintain the availability of basic commodities and stability in prices not only in big cities but also in all corners of the nation.

The Ministry of Trade is also mandated to regulate digital trade to create an online trading ecosystem that is advantageous and just.

"Digital transformation must be able to uphold the nation's sovereignty and independence. We, Indonesia, cannot become victims of unfair digital trade,” Jokowi emphasized.

The head of state also urged the Ministry of Trade to continue to expand Indonesia's export market to non-traditional countries.

Nations, with prospective economic growth, such as in Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe, should be the focus to become export target countries.

"I call for the expansion of non-traditional markets. This has always been our direction for years to the European Union, America. Do not get caught up in the same export market. Now, new markets are growing, for which serious work is necessary,” President Jokowi affirmed.  (Antaranews)

Mar. 4 - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed belief that the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) has in place the right strategy to develop national products.

"The Ministry of Trade has the right policies and strategies to develop the market for our national products," President Jokowi stated at the opening of the 2021 Ministry of Trade National Working Meeting at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday.

President Jokowi supports the ministry’s strategy to support products made in Indonesia and shopping centers as well as provide space for Indonesian products, especially of MSMEs.

"Do not allow foreign brands to occupy the front room and strategic locations. This must start to shift. They are shifted to a place that is not strategic. A strategic place, which is good, is given to local brands," the president expounded.

President Jokowi also called for people to favor brands offering local products over and above those from abroad.

"This is because our population is over 270 million, which is a large market. The call to love our own products must continue to be echoed," President Jokowi emphasized.

The president expects people to become loyal consumers of Indonesian products while also emphasizing the need to give serious attention to the export market.

"To this end, I call for expanding non-traditional markets. Do not get trapped in the same export market. Now, we need to work seriously on new markets," President Jokowi stressed. (Antaranews)

Mar. 4 - Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Bambang Susantono highlighted that economic growth during the pandemic not only relied on consumption and support from government spending but also on investment support to enable economic recovery.

At a webinar titled “Great Reset and Future Prospects” here on Wednesday, Susantono stated that the country must be able to survive and emerge from economic recession during the pandemic by driving economic growth through investment.

However, the ADB vice president reminded that in order to draw investment, every country must compete, so that investors are willing to invest.

"The state needs to strive to attract as much investment as possible and not only rely on consumption and government support," Susantono emphasized.

The vice president pointed out that amid a pandemic that has triggered economic recession in several nations due to restricted mobility of the people, each country is highly dependent on support from government spending to maintain economic growth.

However, support from government spending requires a special budget, thereby leading to budgets in several countries, especially in the Asia Pacific, to slide into deficits.

This situation has triggered several countries to seek new funds and led to an increase in debt.

"As a result, the government's debt is rising. Of course, there is no other way," Susantono remarked.

However, the ADB vice president encouraged the state to exercise caution in managing the debt ratio in order to remain sustainable and called to not create too heavy a burden that could lead to the economy collapsing.

Expert Staff for Macroeconomics at the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Indra Darmawan noted that the government's focus in 2021 is on three areas: improving public health, continuing the workforce program, and implementing the Job Creation Law.

The government needs to push the implementation of the Job Creation Law in order to boost investment in the country through various clusters, one of which is by running an Investment Management Institution that will absorb several funds and utilize it for development and encourage economic growth.  (Antaranews)