Exporters asked the
government for funding and policy support to improve export performance. The
support should be given to balance cost of production and marketing to a number
of export destination countries. Some industry sectors such as textiles, shoes,
furniture, children’s toys, food and beverages, and pulp are currently
experiencing under transaction. Therefore, financial support provided by the
Export Import Financing Institution (LPEI) may be considered.
Chairman of the Indonesian Exporters Association (GPEI),
Benny Sutrisno, in Jakarta (Friday, September 13), expects the government to
provide assistance in the form of State Capital Participation (PMN) to
strengthen LPEI’s capital at Rp.1 trillion. According to Benny, LPEI has helped
exporters, but it still lacks in capital. “We currently need a substantial
budget to increase exports, and LPEI is expected to carry out that role”, said
Bennny.
He also sees that every region in Indonesia has a great
potential to contribute to national economic growth. At the local level, the
potential ranges from tourism, agriculture, and industry development which can
even be export-oriented. Therefore, there should be a national program to
develop regional potency by promoting regional exports. Such activity is expected
to increase the capacity of local entrepreneurs and reduce unemployment rate.
The potency of commodity exports-oriented regional
businesses, if its financing is supported by financial institutions, will be
able to increase the role of local entrepreneurs in the national and
international market, which in turn is able to increase the revenue potential
of the country. He said that to facilitate financing access as well as gaining
access to market to do exports, small businesses which are just starting to
export can cooperate with local exporters who have similar products.
Even though export potential in the region is high, small
and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region are constrained by lack access to
bank financing. Many requirements imposed and the minimum knowledge of local
entrepreneurs on exports is a major problem which is frequently encountered.
The problems were triggered by the limitations of SMEs in managing finances, so
it becomes unbendable. He said that the application of 1% tax for SMEs who have
a turnover of less than Rp.4.8 billion is positive so that SMEs can manage
companies in a professional manner and with good governance, making it
bankable.
Meanwhile, the government assigned LPEI to better support
national export program, as an attempt to improve trade balance deficit, which
in the second quarter of 2013, reached USD 3.7 billion. Acting Head of Fiscal
Policy of the Ministry of Finance, Bambang Brodjonegoro, explained that LPEI’s
function is to secure the export program, but is special assignment is to
anticipate if there are banks, non-bank financial institutions, and insurance
agencies who are unable to perform the task of guarding the national export
sector.
Bambang
added that this special assignment in the form of National Interest Account
(NIA) program, a policy to support the national export which is
non-commercially viable, but is necessary to preserve export value. He said
that the government would provide capital reinforcement to LPEI to help
implement NIA, so that the conditions of the national exports is not too
declining in the face of the weakening demand in export destination countries.
He said that for 2014, his party will strengthen the capital system and make
them as one instrument to encourage real exports
Business News - September 18, 2013
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