Inacraft 2024 Officially Opens, Pertamina's Fostered MSME Aim an IDR 3 Billion Turnover

Jakarta, February 28, 2024 - The International Handicraft Trade Fair (Inacraft) 2024 exhibition officially opened today, Wednesday (28/2). Bringing along 29 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), PT Pertamina (Persero) aims to achieve a turnover of IDR 3 billion from its MSMEs partners during Inacraft 2024 from February 28 to March 3, 2024, at the Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta.

The opening ceremony of Inacraft 2024 was conducted by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, along with the Minister of Trade, Zulkifli Hasan, and the Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, Teten Masduki, who directly inspected several booths of SME participants in Inacraft.

In his opening remarks, the Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, Teten Masduki, appreciated the participation of MSMEs in this largest craft exhibition in Southeast Asia.

According to him, Indonesian products hold a 1.25% market share in the global handicraft industry. Indonesian handicrafts are projected to grow and increase along with the richness of natural resources and the creativity of its artisans.

"This is an opportunity for craft artisans to dominate the domestic market. On behalf of the government, I congratulate the Inacraft 2024, which has adapted to the digital era through the concept of 'Smart, Simple, Mobile, Accessible, Real-time, and Trustworthy' through cashless payment, social media orientation, and digital insight programs. With a strong Inacraft branding in the ASEAN region in 2024, I hope Indonesia can lead as the world's largest exporter of handicraft products," he said.

Supporting the government's program while motivating MSMEs to upgrade, Vice President of Corporate Communication of Pertamina, Fadjar Djoko Santoso, revealed that Pertamina has consistently participated in the Inacraft exhibition from year to year. During Inacraft, Pertamina presents its 29 best-fostered MSMEs to expand their market, and targets a sales turnover of IDR3 billion or a 25% increase from Pertamina's MSME turnover at Inacraft in March 2023.

"We hope Pertamina's Foster MSME products will be interesting for visitors. To increase this turnover, Pertamina will also facilitate several activities such as business meetings that bring together MSMEs with potential foreign buyers, thus opening export markets," Fadjar explained.

One of the outstanding fostered MSMEs at Inacraft is "Merajut Asa Kita," whose products come from artisans with disabilities. The Chairwoman of Merajut Asa Kita, Elis Juarsih, expressed her joy in joining the Inacraft 2024 exhibition. Some products displayed include outerwear, warm clothing, culottes, beanie hats, scarves, crossbody bags, laptop bags, and trendy bags.

"I have been with Pertamina for two years. Coincidentally, there are ten disabled artisans in the Merajut Asa products. This disability empowerment program helps increase their economy because disabilities have mobility barriers, so they make products at home. After that, we bring and market them like this. Teaching disabled artisans isn't difficult. It requires precision and focus. Pertamina has invited us to many exhibitions," she said.

Elis hopes the five-day Inacraft exhibition will increase turnover and introduce their products to international consumers. "Our products are already marketed to Malaysia. After this, we want to go international and be more recognized, not only in Indonesia but the world's consumers should also know about our products. We should be proud of our products," she concluded.

Pertamina, as a leading company in the energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement. All these efforts align with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) implementation across all Pertamina's business lines and operations.**