Jakarta, Nov 17 (Antara) - The government has been urged to lend support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they use local raw materials and absorb numerous workers and serve as the strong economic pillars of the nation.
"In the face of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), we hope that the government would work to develop micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises," Dr M. Firmansyah, an economic observer of the University of Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, stated on Friday, last week.
After all, the progress of SMEs will benefit the local people as their products will also be consumed locally, he noted.
Therefore, the government has urged banks to provide financing support to SMEs doing business in the tourism sector and also to offer funding assistance to export-oriented SMEs.
The government, through Bank Indonesia (BI/the central bank), has indicated its efforts to prepare incentives for banks, which will increase their credits to SMEs doing business in the tourism sector.
"We are preparing a macro-prudential policy, especially for banks ready to provide credits to SMEs. If the banks help in boosting the development of SMEs, we will offer them incentives, so that they can be empowered to expand their credits to small businesses," BI Governor Agus Martowardojo remarked during a coordination meeting between the central and regional governments and BI in Yogyakarta on November 13, 2015.
The BI's policy is aimed at supporting the capacity of small businesses, which are operating in the tourism sector.
"We can give incentives to banks, so that they can be empowered to expand their credits to small and medium businesses," he emphasized.
The BI governor pointed out that the supporting capacity of small businesses in the tourism sector remains one of the major constraints hindering the development of the tourism industry. The other hurdles are the lack of access and tourism attractions.
Agus affirmed that the development of small businesses in the tourism sector also needed to be boosted outside Java, such as in Kalimantan and Sulawesi. So far, businesses here depend on the export of raw materials. It is expected that through this assistance, they will not solely rely on raw material exports but also on the development of tourism
With incentives for banks that provide credits for SMEs, the development of tourism is expected to increase tourist arrivals. The Ministry of Tourism is targeting to increase the contribution of tourism to the gross domestic product (GDP) from 4.01 percent currently to five percent in 2016.
It is also expected to help boost worker absorption capacity from three million to seven million jobs next year.
To this end, the BI is formulating its macro-prudential policy package.
"As an outcome of this meeting, we will issue a macro-prudential policy, which gives an opportunity to banks to expand and develop the small business sector," the BI governor noted.
The BI is planning to offer a recommendation that the Financial Service Authority (OJK) should evaluate the possibility of providing fiscal incentives to small businesses in the tourism sector.
OJK Chairman Muliaman Dharmansyah Hadad stated on Monday (Nov. 16) that the SMEs often complained of facing difficulties in obtaining credits and financing, including access to financial institutions.
Muliaman stressed that the SMEs need to be supported by offering wider financial access.
"Now, we are preparing regulations for small businesses in Indonesia. We hope to complete the process by early next year," he emphasized.
He said that micro, small and medium-sized businesses can develop with the assistance of underwriters.
"Money is not the only factor hampering the development of SMEs but it can be a factor that decides the survival of their businesses," Muliaman noted in a written statement on Monday.
Apart from BI's incentives to banks to help boost the development of SMEs, the government will also assist in the development of small businesses by providing Rp1.5 trillion for 30 export-oriented SMEs. The assistance will be provided as working capital to ensure their survival and prevent them from conducting worker layoffs amid the economic slowdown.
The funds worth Rp50 billion to be disbursed to each recipient company are included in the fourth tranche of the government's economic policy package announced on Thursday, October 15.
Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro affirmed that the working capital to be provided by the Indonesian Export Financing Institution (LPEI) for businesses will save some 27 thousand workers from being laid off.
"After making a calculation, we find a potential (working capital) that could safeguard 27 thousand workers from being laid off," Minister Brodjonegoro stated while referring to the LPEI credit extension scheme, which is included in the government's fourth installment of its economic policy package announced on Thursday.
The minister explained that the credit assistance will be provided for SMEs whose businesses are export-oriented or supporting exports in a bid to ensure their survival and prevent worker layoffs.
The working capital will be given to 30 small companies, each having at least 50 workers though not exceeding 5,520. The assistance will be channeled by state-owned or private banks as well as capital venture and leasing companies that are partnering with the LPEI. ***3***(A014/INE)EDITED BY INE(T.A014/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 17-11-2015 13:57: |
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