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Govt to help SMEs sell chili, coffee to Mecca pilgrims
Kadin chairman Rosan Roeslani said five small businesses in soy sauce production had secured authorization from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA).
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The first group of Muslims to be allowed in the Grand Mosque compound after Saudi authorities eased COVID-19 restrictions enters to perform the umrah in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 3, 2020. (REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout )
T
he government is planning to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) supply chili, soy sauce, sugar, coffee and tea to Indonesian haj and umrah (minor haj) pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
The Trade Ministry, the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday for the implementation of the plan.
Kadin chairman Rosan Roeslani said five small businesses in soy sauce production had been authorized by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), while five tea businesses, four coffee businesses and four chili businesses were awaiting approval.
“We are happy that some of them have secured approval from the SFDA,” Rosan told reporters at a virtual press conference. “For the coffee and tea [producers], there are indications of approval from the SFDA.”
Read also: Pilgrims should be prioritized for vaccine
The initiative is part of the government’s effort to boost small business exports, which account for about 14 percent of the country’s total exports. In contrast, small businesses account for about 60 percent of the country’s economic output and employ more than 90 percent of its workforce.
Haj and umrah pilgrimages offer a significant business opportunity. Some 221,000 Indonesians left for the haj and around 1 million left for umrah in 2019, according to Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi.
