Protection of small firms continued

JAKARTA (JP): The government will continue protecting the interests of small businesses despite Indonesia's movement towards trade liberalization, which will increase competition, Minister of Trade Satrio B. Joedono said yesterday.

"The government, through its policies, will provide assistance in terms of access to capital and market information to small businesses should they face fiercer competition with bigger and stronger companies," he said in a closing ceremony of the ministry's workshop here.

"We will not let any small and efficient enterprises fall from competition with big but inefficient firms," Joedono told the participants of the three-day meeting.

About 150 officials of the ministry, consisting of chairmen of the provincial offices of trade, trade attaches, international trade promotion center executives and other high ranking officials, took part in the workshop, which featured Joedono, three other cabinet ministers and the governor of Bank Indonesia as speakers.

Joedono told the meeting that in assisting small businesses, he will cooperate with the minister of cooperatives and small enterprises as well as the minister of transmigration. (kod)