BPOM data shows 14 million MSMEs unregistered and will be assisted to upgrade

BPOM says there are around 14 million MSMEs that have not been served by BPOM, and it will undertake data collection on MSMEs as part of efforts to help improve the quality, safety, and efficacy of their products. Head of BPOM, Taruna Ikrar, said that of around 60 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia today, 18 million are directly related to BPOM’s duties and functions. ‘Currently, only 4.2 million MSMEs are registered with BPOM,’ he said at the Soft Launch of SAPA UMKM in Jakarta, on Thursday. ‘Thus, fellow MSMEs who want to register their products for downstreaming are blocked. They cannot obtain a licence number, so they cannot sell their products,’ he said. ‘BPOM is committed to prioritising product safety standards. However, Taruna noted that BPOM also seeks to help MSMEs.’ ‘Next, BPOM will provide mentoring and assistance so that MSMEs can obtain licences, enabling them to market their products. The hope is that MSMEs can upgrade.’ The BPOM head hopes that MSMEs will no longer fear registering with BPOM, because they fully support MSMEs. Through a network of 83 Technical Implementation Units (UPT) across Indonesia, BPOM continues to proactively drive the development of local MSMEs to go national and even international. ‘Millions of MSMEs in Indonesia are an asset for improving the welfare of the people as well as the independence and sovereignty of the nation,’ he said. Meanwhile, the Minister for National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Rachmat Pambudy, said that SAPA UMKM is a cross-ministry, cross-agency, cross-regional programme involving communities from Aceh to Papua. ‘No country is strong without strong enterprises. The stronger the enterprise, the stronger the MSMEs, and the MSMEs grow into large ones; that is where the country becomes solid,’ said Rachmat. The Minister of MSMEs, Maman Abdurrahman, added that SAPA UMKM is not just an application, but a tool to show the Ministry of MSMEs’ presence among millions of business actors. ‘There must be revolutionary breakthroughs that break through the constraints of space and time, geographical locations, coordination, and the constraints that have long separated government from micro, small and medium entrepreneurs. Do not let them not feel the government’s touch and embrace in every stage of their growth,’ he said. Therefore, a system should exist that enables communication, coordination and interaction with all MSME actors across the country. The introduction of SAPA UMKM is expected to broaden access to services and mentoring for business actors in various regions.