COLLABORATION OF THREE MINISTRIES TO PROMOTE EXPORT OF DESIGN-BASED PRODUCTS

To promote export of design based products, the Ministry of Trade collaborated with the Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Cooperatives and Ministry of Small-and-Medium Business to promote added value of the product to promote export. Minister of Trade Rachmat Gobel stated in Jakarta on Thursday [30/10] that by using nature based raw materials, it was expected that small business would have their export potential promoted.

“By this triangular meeting it is expected that export would be promoted. Still I always insist the Minister of industry to talk in the same language so export target could be met without disregarding the domestic market potential which is still the first priority.” he said. “With growing market opportunity we call out for inter-ministrial collaboration involving designers who are competent in their respective fields. We also wish that facilities like Indonesia Export Training center be enhanced especially with Japan’s aid in this respect through JETRO and JICA”

This was one of the system and facilities available in Indonesia, designed to train beginner exporters of the small-and-medium business sector. The problem they faced was mostly how to synchronize available raw materials with product design as demanded by buyer countries and in compliance with various regulations there. So coordination and integration was necessary. To strengthen product competitiveness by industrial approach, Indonesian designers must step up competence before entering the global market because added value was in their hands.

There was a body in Indonesia called the National Design Center. The role of this body was to coordinate various bodies related to product design whereby to put added value on products for sale at the export market. The Ministry of Trade would facilitate promotion facilities to serve as spearhead product development 2014, the Ministry of Trade through the Directorate General for National Export Development [PEN] would open access for UKM small business to professional designing facilities. “I insist that purely Indonesian design pattern like songket may only adopted by small business” Rachmat Gobel stated.

The Director of Small and Medium Industry [IKM], the Ministry in that opportunity also stated that the handicap of IKM was that they had product but the design and packing was not up to professional standard. That was the reason why IKM products lacked of added value. Over the past 4 years fashion products developed remarkably although still unable to play catch uo with products of Non-Mechanized Weaving Instruments [ATBM]. Recently as a result of one year research, the Major Textile Workshop in Bandung, West Java had succeeded in developing computer aided design although the waving machine was still obsolete. (SS)

Business News - November 5, 2014