Ekosis Encourages Marketing of MSME Products in North Lombok

Deputy Regent of North Lombok Regency, Danny Karter Febrianto Ridawan, said there are several natural products that have the potential to be developed in North Lombok, including chocolate, coffee, cloves, and cashews.

However, Danny revealed, various obstacles are still faced by business actors, including difficult distribution, limited product marketing, to the quality that needs to be standardized in order to be competitive.

“This is what makes many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) out of business during the pandemic,” he said in a workshop for MSMEs in North Lombok and Sumbawa, recently.

Meanwhile, the Director of Small, Medium Enterprise and Cooperative Development at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Ahmad Dading Gunadi, stated that even though MSMEs dominate the total employment in Indonesia, the productivity of MSMEs still needs to be improved.

In Fact, 90 Percent of MSME Players Haven’t Use Digital Marketing

To support marketing, local startup Ekosis provides a special agribusiness trading platform that allows MSMEs to connect directly with buyers digitally.

Business Development Specialist for Ekosis, Felicia Yulie Mills, said that business actors can also apply for certification, consultation, or training so that product quality and quality are guaranteed.

“In addition, logistics and cold chain transport can also be directly selected through the Ekosis application or web,” Felicia said in her statement, Sunday (30/5/2021).

Felicia added, not only in terms of marketing, Ekosis also supports MSMEs players to get to their feet quickly and increase the quality and quantity of production with the help of capital.

“Business actors who are active in transactions and have a track record of sales at Ekosis will have the opportunity to apply for a loan from a trusted capital partner, Ekosis, who is registered with the OJK. Businesses will later be able to choose the most suitable capital provider,” Felicia emphasized.

Collaborating with the Ministry of Health to Develop Village Products

The Agribusiness Startup Ekosis stated that it had been invited to collaborate by the Directorate General of Economic Development and Investment in Underdeveloped Areas and Transmigration of the Ministry of Village, PDTT RI to encourage the welfare of agribusiness actors in Indonesia, especially in rural areas and underdeveloped areas.

Felicia Yulie Mills as the Ekosis Business Development Specialist said that the collaboration will be carried out from various aspects, from market access, product standardization, to logistics.

“This collaboration is expected to open wide market access. With Ekosis, farmers, fishermen, breeders and breeders have the opportunity to market their crops throughout Indonesia,” Felicia said in a written statement.

Meanwhile, the products from the village will be prepared to meet the standardization of market demand. Likewise with the readiness of logistical facilities to support the entire process from upstream to downstream with proper capabilities.

“Until now, online socialization has been carried out in stages, starting with farmers, fishermen, breeders and MSMEs in a number of regions in Indonesia, from western regions (such as Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra) to eastern Indonesia (such as Maluku, NTT),” closed Felicia.

Help Access to Finance for MSMEs

KOMPAK (Community Collaboration and Services for Welfare) together with Bappenas and the regional government are collaborating with the Ekosis Agribusiness startup and banking sector to provide access to assistance and financing for MSMEs.

In collaboration with relevant agencies from the local government, until now training has been carried out in several regions in the country. Starting from the districts of West Aceh, Pemalang, Pekalongan, Bantaeng, to North Lombok.

Felicia Yulie Mills, Business Development Specialist for Ekosis, said that this effort was made for the sake of realizing the welfare of agribusiness actors in Indonesia. In this case, Ekosis is prepared to assist holistically, from the purpose of view of selling , logistics, consulting, product quality management, to capital.

The Director of Small, Medium Enterprise and Cooperative Development of the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappernas Ahmad Dading Gunadi hopes that market intermediation with a supporting ecosystem can increase the economic value of products and businesses through market certainty, logistics efficiency, and opening access to finance.