Successfully "Upgrading" Hundreds of MSMEs in South Sumatra, The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia, Appreciates the BKSS Program

PALEMBANG,Indonesia,Nov. 21,2022 --The Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy,Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno,appreciated the achievements of Micro,Small,and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) who participated in the South Sumatra Creative Buy program (BKSS). After participating in the BKSS,two hundred MSMEs in South Sumatra succeeded in increasing their sales by 89.5 percent. "During three months of training,mentoring,and market expansion,200 curated MSMEs have succeeded in increasing their sales and business scale," said Sandiaga.

Palembang (19/11),5 best SMEs participants of Beli Kreatif Sumatera Selatan (BKSS) program. The program succeeded in increasing the profit of hundreds of MSMEs in South Sumatra and has received appreciation from Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno as well as representatives of BCA and Dexa Group - at the "Harvesting BKSS" event at the Palembang Trade Center.

To celebrate this achievement,The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy held the BKSS peak event entitled "Harvesting BKSS" for three days from November 18 to 20 at the Palembang Trade Center (PTC). The event,which Minister Sandiaga Uno attended on 19 November 2022,presents a bazaar selling various products from thirty fostered MSMEs and supporting partners. Including Bank Sumsel Babel,Dian Pelangi,Mustika Ratu,Lemonilo,Tokopedia,Grab,Gojek,Pertamina,Bhinneka,Dexa Medica,Bank Central Asia,and others. Visitors can purchase various quality culinary,fashion and craft products at friendly prices at this event. In addition,visitors are invited to watch performances by several well-known national and South Sumatran artists.

Sandiaga explains,"The BKSS program aims to encourage MSME players to continue to innovate,adapt and collaborate. Assistance for the BKSS program is expected to improve the quality of products produced by MSMEs while expanding the scope of marketing,such as digital marketing,segmentation,positioning and targeting,and market development through e-commerce. The training is expected to increase turnover and to contribute towards employment."

Furthermore,Sandiaga stated that the economic improvement of MSME players impacted broad economic revival and encouraged the creation of jobs. Especially currently,the contribution of the creative economy is one of the largest contributing sectors to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP),with a value of 7.35%. Data from the Tourism and Creative Economy Outlook 2021/2022 states that the three creative economy sub-sectors are the most significant contributors to the GDP structure and exports,namely culinary (39%),fashion (17%),and crafts (14.9%).

"I congratulate the South Sumatra MSMEs who have succeeded in increasing their turnover and business scale through the BKSS program. I hope that it will not only encourage an increase in the contribution of Indonesia's creative economy but also be able to raise tourism potential in South Sumatra,bringing us closer to the target of creating 4.4 million jobs in 2024," concluded Sandiaga.

Rini Utari,the owner of Arumitha Leather,one of the BKSS-assisted SMEs,appreciated this program. According to Rini,this program provides comprehensive assistance related to production and marketing development and teaches financial literacy,assistance with tax pay leave services,and others. "Through BKSS,we are connected with various stakeholders,ranging from the government,and investors to fellow MSMEs. We are optimistic that by collaborating,MSMEs in South Sumatra can grow and develop," said Rini.

Thanks to the BKSS training program,the turnover of two hundred MSMEs assisted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy increased by up to 89.5 percent,involving 459 workers in the South Sumatra region,and it is hoped that this number will continue to grow. Since its launch on September 14,the BKSS program has received a good reception from the community,especially MSME players. This enthusiasm was evident in the number of registrants,which reached six hundred participants. Of these,two hundred MSMEs from seventeen districts/cities in South Sumatra have passed curation and entered the training stage. After being provided with various trainings,participants were invited to apply their knowledge through various promotional activities both through exhibitions in several locations and online on multiple e-commerce platforms.

Watch the live broadcast of the "Harvesting BKSS" celebration through the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia 'sYouTube account,and for more information on the BKSS program follow @belikreatiflokalon Instagram.

About the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy

Driven by the vision to make Indonesia a world-class tourism destination,the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia has made various breakthroughs to continue to grow tourism and the creative industry in Indonesia. The focus of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy's strategy in the development of the tourism sector and the creative economy is to develop a national tourism sector,international market-oriented marketing,and to strengthen the capabilities of creative economy actors in developing creative economic products so that they can be highly competitive.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy consistently supports the Gerakan Nasional Bangga Buatan Indonesia (Proudly Made in Indonesia National Movement),one of which is by initiating the South Sumatra Creative Buy (BKSS) program. This program is a synergy between Ministries,Institutions,Local Government,e-commerce,and "top brands" partners in the context of empowering MSMEs,especially in the fashion,craft,and culinary sub-sectors in South Sumatra.