Kamis, 19 Maret 2015

GOVT NEEDS TO DEVELOP SMALL, MEDIUM BUSINESSES SERIOUSLY

 By Andi Abdussalam
          Jakarta, March 19 (Antara) -- The government needs to develop its small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are the pillars of the country's economy, with the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
         Experts believe that Indonesia's small and medium enterprises are not yet well-developed and need assistance from the government to overcome the numerous constraints they face.
         According to Indrasari Tjandraningsih from the Senior Research Centre for Social Analysis (AKATIGA), the development of SMEs in the country still faces internal and external obstacles, which make it difficult for businesses in the sector to survive, grow and thrive.
         "Based on the result of a research, SMEs face problems related to professional management, among others, as part of internal constraints. With regard to external constraints, they lack comprehensive and integrated data, while their information distribution system is also inadequate," Tjandraningsih said on Tuesday.
         She revealed this in a discussion on "Promoting SMEs and Indonesian Economic Development" held in cooperation with the AKATIGA, the RAND Corporation and the National Team to Accelerate Poverty Reduction (TNP2K).


         As they are the economic pillars of the country, the government needs to pay serious attention to SMEs, with the AEC being implemented at the end of the year. If the country's SMEs cannot compete in the AEC, Indonesia will be flooded with products from other member states of the ASEAN.
         Moreover, policies issued for Indonesia's industrial sector so far have not been in favor of SMEs as the government often ignores small industries, including household businesses, according to an economic observer from the Strategic Socio-Economic Cadres Association (Akses).
         "Ideally, SMEs and cottage industries should serve as the backbone of the national economy," economic observer Suroto said recently.
         He noted that many smallholders' industries, such as carving industries in Jepara, leather and silver industries in Yoyakarta, metal industries in Tegal, and many others in various regions, have closed down.
         Suroto observed that government policies, which always give priority to industries that depend on foreign investments, should be changed soon.
         Furthermore, the 58 million SMEs in Indonesia provide employment to more than 90 percent of the total workforce in the country. This sector should be prepared to face the AEC next year.
         The Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises stated on its official website last year that there were some 58 million SMEs in Indonesia. They were being prepared to face a global business environment.
         Other data showed that in 2011, when there were still 51 million SMEs, about 53 percent of the nation's gross domestic product was contributed by them.
         Therefore, SMEs should be assisted to overcome problems they encounter in the run-up to the AEC.
         According to the research carried out by the AKATIGA and RAND Corporation, SMEs face barriers related to access to credit, which make it difficult for them to finance investments to improve production technology, as well as barriers to market access.
         In addition, SMEs are usually informal entities and often face a lengthy bureaucratic process.
         "This study provides a detailed insight into their problems and explains factors that cause SMEs to face business constraints. It recommends measures to mitigate these constraints, as well," Tjandraningsih from the AKATIGA explained.
         "The central and local governments also lack coordination in providing assistance, such as management aid and other SME development programs," she said.
         Tjandraningsih added that SMEs also face other constraints, including those related to raw materials, workers, licensing and certification of products.
         "With regard to raw materials, they face stock and price problems; regarding workers, they lack skilled ones; they also face unclear conditions and expensive costs over licensing and certification," she pointed out.
         She further noted that the government should help resolve these issues by providing raw materials, reactivating Labor Training Centers (BLK) and simplifying licensing procedures and product certification.
         She emphasized that credit constraints had significant impacts on SMEs because they were neither able to purchase improved technological equipment to increase their capacity and productivity, nor were they able to increase the number of their workforce.
         "I hope the government modifies the national credit program for SMEs and establishes an electronic credit information system," she stated.
         With regard to credits, the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) has suggested that the government increase its credit provision in 2015 through the smallholders' credit scheme (KUR) for SMEs, especially beginner businessmen.
         "We hope the amount allocated for the KUR for 2015 is not reduced. It should be increased, or at least maintained at the amount that had been set aside for it in 2014," Chairman of Hipmi, Bahlil Lahadalia, said on Wednesday.
         It was reported earlier that in 2015, the government had set a target of extending only Rp20 trillion for KUR, significantly lower than the Rp36 trillion allocated in 2014.
         The government cut the KUR amount this year due to increased bad debts and non-performing loans (NPL) of the KUR program.
    Hipmi believes that the increasing NPL problem of the KUR was not solely caused by the weaknesses of KUR recipients in managing their cash flow.

         He noted that more than 95 percent of KUR credit recipients were considered skilled, while those with less impressive skills constituted less than 5 percent of the recipients.
         "Issues related to banks can also be attributed, as not all banks have the competence to manage credit risks for small businesses. So the government made the correct decision to reduce the number of banks assigned to channel KUR credits to SMEs," he explained.
         Hipmi also appreciates the government's efforts to lower the NPL in the KUR program by planning to reduce the number of distributor banks and eliminate KUR retailers.
         According to reports, the government will channel KUR credits again this year. It has appointed three banks with the authority to provide KUR assistance amounting to Rp20 trillion.
         "The government has confirmed that the BRI bank will be a KUR distributor. It will also invite Bank Mandiri and Bank BNI to ask their readiness to become distributing banks for KUR credits," Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, AAG Ngurah Puspayoga, stated after a coordination meeting on the KUR in Jakarta on March 3.
         Puspayoga affirmed that only three banks were mandated to distribute KUR credits to minimize the recurrence of the NPL problem, which was often the case in the earlier KUR scheme.
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(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(H-YH)

(T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 19-03-2015 20:28:

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