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Handicraft industry must read global trends: VP
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Prisoners from Surabaya penitentiary make furniture as part of their rehabilitation program in Sidoarjo, East Java, on March 31. (ANTARA FOTO/Umarul Faruq)
T
o take on global competition, Indonesian handicraft producers must be able to read global trends and improve innovation, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said.
At the opening ceremony of the Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair (Inacraft), he said the government was encouraging them to not only sell their products in the domestic market but also seek new markets abroad.
“In the world market, these products have to face competition in terms of quality, price and delivery time. It takes technology and the digital economy,” Kalla said at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Jakarta on Wednesday.
To address these issues, he continued, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) could not stand alone. In the end, they needed supporting machinery to improve productivity and product quality.
Kalla also reminded craft entrepreneurs to not only produce ornaments or decorative products but also functional ones.
"Not only creating products based on our taste, you must also consider the market trends. If you want to get to a commercial stage, the product must be functional, not only decoration,” he said.
Artisans, producers, craft entrepreneurs and SMEs had to work on production efficiency and business management to improve market absorption of local products in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the Vice President urged.
Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Producers Association (ASEPHI) secretary-general Sugiarto said the 18th Inacraft exhibition carried the theme “The Splendour of Minangkabau” to promote the rich cultural heritage of West Sumatra.
According to Trade Ministry data, Sumatra contributed a relatively large portion of the added-value non-oil and gas industry, accounting for 23.9 percent. Indonesian handicraft exports reached US$704.2 million in 2015, up 1.4 percent from the previous year.
In January and February 2016, the exports amounted to $114.1 million, up 3.7 percent from the same period last year. Major products with high export value were wigs, false eyebrows and eyelashes, textile materials, wooden frames, statutes and ornaments. (ags)
