45 MSMEs Participate in Grogol Fair

A total of 45 micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) operators are participating in the Grogol Fair (PRG), which was officially opened by the West Jakarta City Government in collaboration with Hotel Kartika Aston on Friday. Lisniawati Uus, Daily Chair of the National Crafts Council (Dekranasda) for DKI Jakarta, stated that the event aims to support the growth of MSMEs, particularly Dekranasda members. “We are facilitated by Hotel Aston, where we want MSMEs, especially in West Jakarta, to be given space to grow and develop their marketing,” Lisniawati told reporters in Jakarta on Friday. Meanwhile, West Jakarta Mayor Iin Mutmainnah said the participating MSMEs had undergone a measured curation process. “It starts with tiered coaching. Those present here have been curated, so their products are fit for sale,” she said. Amid a sluggish economic situation, she noted, the Grogol Fair is one of the ways to boost MSME marketing. “So this is one of the ways, by providing a marketing space for them,” she said. Elva, a pearl craft artisan participating in the Grogol Fair, admitted that her sales turnover had dropped drastically recently due to the rising price of pearl raw materials. “I buy these pearls, I buy them in strands. Well, the price used to be only Rp75,000, now it’s almost Rp300,000,” said Elva. The increase in raw material prices has forced her to either reduce raw material purchases or raise her product prices. “Yes, raise the price. From Rp750,000 to around one million,” she said. According to her, the Grogol Fair helps market her products because she does not yet have an online shop. “We got this information from Dekranasda, we registered. My hope is that there will be Dekranasda outlets in every hotel and exhibitions like this in every hotel in West Jakarta, so it helps us,” she said.