Minister of Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Teten Masduki, has asked MSMEs producing superior regional products to use Sarinah Building in Jakarta as a promotional venue.
Sarinah is a place for MSMEs to showcase and develop their products, he remarked.
“MSMEs players need their own homes to be able to develop and sell their products. With Sarinah as a home for MSME players, they can develop their products with a strong narrative,” the minister said in a press statement on Tuesday.
Sarinah could become an example for local governments for utilizing old government-owned buildings in their respective areas by converting them into venues for selling quality MSME products, he added.
“We have a lot of old buildings in many areas. Do not sell them; it would not be appreciated,” he said.
Masduki also advised local governments to use aggregators to accommodate various products from various regions that can be displayed in Sarinah.
“I suggest that the region should have an aggregator, it could be a cooperative or a regional company that buys the products first. Later, the regional company will enter the national market by selling the products in Sarinah,” he explained.
The role of aggregators is considered important in small or micro production systems considering that MSME players face difficulties in producing and promoting products on their own.
Meanwhile, Sarinah’s managing director, Fetty Kwartati, said that the building has been improved on several scores, starting from a business concept that led to the space being converted into a community mall and the branding of Sarinah as a must-visit destination as well as a social and cultural space.
In the future, Sarinah will collaborate with regional offices to curate MSME products that can be displayed in the building.
“We have discussed the cooperation with heads of various regional governments, where each region can become an aggregator and curate their products to be displayed at Sarinah,” Kwartati informed.
The Sarinah Shopping Center in Central Jakarta resumed operations from March 21, 2022, with 95 percent of outlets showcasing MSME products.
Source: Antara News