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Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. (ANTARA/HO-Industry Ministry/sh)

Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has urged the public to buy domestic products, in a bid to improve the competitiveness of the Indonesian manufacturing industry, which has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Support for the domestic industry will help the sector, including small- and medium-scale enterprises, to survive," Kartasasmita said in a statement here on Friday.

The minister said he believes that domestic industry can compete with imported products, but it would need support from the public to survive and continue production.

The government has launched a national campaign to promote products made in Indonesia, with the hashtag #BanggaBuatanIndonesia (Proud of Indonesian Products), on Thursday (May 14, 2020). 

The campaign is expected to encourage people to support national products, Kartasasmita said. 

"I hope that the Proud of Indonesian Products National Campaign makes a concrete contribution to the recovery of the Indonesian economy,” he added. 

"We should have self-confidence, we can produce the products that we need," he noted.

The Industry Ministry has made a commitment to help SMEs maintain their productivity and encourage them to sell their products through e-commerce platforms, instead of offline points of purchase.

"We see that SMEs have a strong spirit (which would enable them) to face the (current COVID-19) situation,” he added.

In 2017, the ministry had launched an e-Smart IKM program to facilitate SMEs. As many as 11,167 SMEs across the country have participated in the program, which will run until 2024. 

"This is the best time for the national industry to move on and sell products through e-commerce platforms," he said.

Kartasasmita cited the example of the coffee processing industry, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic as many cafes and restaurants closed due to the imposition of large-scale social restrictions in many cities.

To boost coffee sales, the ministry collaborated with a digital platform to facilitate SMEs in the coffee industry through the #SatuDalamKopi campaign in April this year.

The campaign has boosted sales of coffee and coffee products by 57 percent . 

The ministry has also encouraged online marketing for Muslim fashion to support producers, and at the same time, strengthen Indonesia's position in the global Muslim fashion industry. (ANTARA)