Soeharto rallies small businesses
MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday that small businesses and cooperatives were strong enough to participate in national development if they were properly managed through strategic partnerships with large companies.
Speaking at the opening of the ninth national festival of agriculture, cooperatives and family-planning, Soeharto also called for better cooperation between farmers and private companies to develop industries that could add value to agricultural products.
"We have to improve the management of agribusiness and agro- based industries to diversify our food products and to increase their competitiveness against imports through cooperation by various parties," he said at the festival, which was also attended by Minister of Cooperatives and Small Enterprises Subiakto Tjakrawerdaya, Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah and Minister for Population Haryono Suyono.
The President said that it was important to improve the welfare of Indonesian families, so that everyone could participate in national development.
Sjarifudin said that approximately 12,000 people were participating in the one-week festival in the Gerung village in Western Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
The participants are to learn through discussion groups. And they are to display various products made by small businesses and cooperatives, and several new types of farm machinery.
There are over 100 counters open at the festival. Each province has at least three counters which are provided by the provincial offices of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small Enterprises and the National Family Planning Board.
A number of state-owned companies including electric company PT PLN, oil company Pertamina, airline Garuda Indonesia and PT Telkom are using the festival to promote their partnership programs with small businesses and cooperatives. Several private companies such as PT Astra International and PT Sempati Air are doing the same.
After the ceremony, Soeharto met farmers, executives of cooperatives and family planning program participants, who hailed his health.
"I made the visit to Lombok a priority even though I just came back from a medical checkup overseas two days ago," he said. "With the prayers of the Indonesian people, my health proves to be far better than expected."
Some peasants who lived about 40 kilometers from Gerung village told The Jakarta Post that they came all the way to the festival just to welcome Soeharto.
Almost all the participants clapped their hands every time the speakers make a statement about Soeharto's health. (alo)