Trade Minister: BINA to boost the public's purchasing power and interest in local products

Jakarta – Trade Minister Budi Santoso said the Belanja Nasional programme, such as Belanja di Indonesia Aja (BINA), on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, is an effort to increase the purchasing power of the people and interest in local products. ‘This is essentially an instrument to increase the purchasing power of the public and also to boost domestic consumption,’ he told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the BINA Lebaran 2026 programme in Jakarta on Friday. He noted that a shopping programme like BINA Lebaran, which this year is being held from 6-30 March 2026, also represents a form of synergy between the government and related stakeholders, including micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM), in encouraging consumption and circulating the domestic economy. ‘This is a fairly good collaboration between modern retail, including department stores, malls, and also UMKM, to jointly provide products whose aim is to support or welcome Lebaran,’ the minister said. ‘It was noted that this is close to Nataru (Natal and New Year), Imlek, Lebaran. But it was also stated that after Lebaran there will be many interesting events and we will continue to work together so that opportunities to sell domestically produced products or to increase the purchasing power of the public will continue to rise,’ he explained. Meanwhile, Alphonzus Widjaja, chairman of the Indonesian Shopping Centre Management Association (APPBI), said they had prepared other shopping programmes rolling out from June, coinciding with the school holidays. ‘So I think this is also an anticipation to address or counter the long low season. We have already begun preparing to hold various activities,’ he said.