Erwina Desi: Indonesian SME Owner Calls for Stronger Promotion of Local Products

STUPA NEWS, Indonesia’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) need stronger government support to promote local products and help new businesses survive growing market competition, an MSME owner said.

Erwina Desi, treasurer-general of the Lembaga Investigasi Negara (LIN) and a batik business owner, said newly established small businesses faced significant challenges in building a customer base and maintaining their operations.

“I feel sorry for new businesses. Whether it is a boutique or another type of shop, it is very difficult for them to survive today,” Erwina said.

She said businesses that had established customer networks and market connections were generally in a stronger position than newly established enterprises.

Erwina called on the government and lawmakers to pay greater attention to small and medium-sized businesses by strengthening the promotion of locally made products, including Indonesian batik.

She said many regions in Indonesia produce distinctive batik designs that have the potential to reach wider domestic and international markets.

“People in the regions are very creative in producing distinctive Indonesian batik,” she said.

Erwina said Indonesian batik producers also faced competition from fashion products from other countries, including Malaysia and Thailand.

She said greater promotion was needed, particularly for traditional handmade batik and hand-drawn batik, which she said represented an important part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage.

She also highlighted the existence of batik centres in several parts of Indonesia that she said had yet to receive sufficient promotion.

“The problem is that the promotion is still lacking,” Erwina said.

She urged the government to work more closely with MSMEs to understand their needs and help expand their access to domestic and international markets.

Such support, she said, would be important in giving newly established businesses a better chance to survive and grow.

“I hope that in the next year or two, all MSMEs can continue to improve, with the government also working together with them,” she said. (Gusti)