Trade ministry encourages small, medium industries to utilize e-commerce

Indoensias Ministry of Trade has said it has been encouraging small and medium industries (SMIs) to take benefit of online trade (e-commerce) to market their products.

“We are pushing the small and medium industries to take their products to various e-commerce platforms. Websites like Tokopedia, Bukalapak, Blibli and Lazada are all local e-commerce platforms and we encourage the SMIs to use them,” the Minister of Trade, Airlangga Hartarto, stated in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He hoped that once the SMIs start fully utilizing the e-commerce platforms, the industry will start expanding.

The fourth industrial revolution era hinges on embracing the internet and integrating it with products and services, he added.

The minister further explained that internet usage is now part of people’s daily lifestyle and it has now become integral to the industrial world also.

“Germany began doing it in 2013. If we start this year, we will make sure that we are not left behind,” he remarked.

Additionally, the Ministry of Trade also encourages professional vocational training to enhance the quality of human resources.

The minister mentioned the importance of undertaking research and forging collaborations with universities in the industrial sector.

Minister Hartarto also pointed to the progress made in basic materials, and highlighted the fact that natural energy resources cannot last forever.