News Focus – Muslim LifeFair helps Indonesian MSMEs grow to support national economy

Muslim LifeFair in Indonesia’s Bogor, West Java province, bearing the theme Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) brought together various MSME players, who have been widely known by the people and those with their newly-run businesses.

 

Bogor, West Java (Indonesia Window) – The multi-activity exhibition dubbed Muslim LifeFair (MLF) held by the Indonesian Muslim Entrepreneurs Community (KPMI)’s Bogor Chapter, has attracted at least 20,000 visitors to the three-day event, from May 31 to June 2, 2024 at the Innovation Convention Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (ICC BRIN) Cibinong, West Java.

“Thank God, the number of visitors reaching approximately 20,000 people at the MLF this time is a strong indication that this event, which was held for the first time in Bogor, was a success,” Head of KPMI’s Bogor Chapter, Nanang Suriyana, in Bogor, Sunday (June 2).

Muslim LifeFair (Mufair/MLF) is a series road to a national-level event, Muslim LifeFest (Mufest) which is scheduled to take place at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) BSD City, Tangerang, Banten province, in conjunction with the Jakarta Halal Expo & Conference Business to Business (B2B) exhibition (JHEC), on August 30-September 1, 2024.

Nanang continued, the Muslim LifeFair in Bogor under the theme ‘MSME Fiesta made this annual event different and unique from the MLF series in other cities in the country.

“Muslim LifeFair in Bogor bearing the theme MSMEs brings together various micro, small and medium entrepreneurs who have been widely known by the people and those with their newly-run businesses. This is a good collaboration, which is expected to help and support business players in Bogor to continue to grow and develop,” he said.

In addition, he continued, the presence of Muslim scholars who provide thematic scientific studies in the form of talk shows also invited and attracted many visitors from all walks of life with different backgrounds.

“There are Erlan Iskandar and Yogi Triandi who are known as preachers among Muslim children and families. This is very interesting,” Nanang said.

Achieving the target number of visitors and the high level of public interest in visiting the exhibition encouraged KPMI and the organizer, Lima Events Indonesia, to make Muslim LifeFair an annual event in Bogor.

Islamic Economy

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector is an important pillar in the Indonesian economy. Data from the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs shows that the number of MSMEs in mid-July 2023 reached 64.2 million with a contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 61.07 percent or worth 8,573.89 trillion rupiahs.

The contribution of MSMEs to the national economy includes the ability to absorb around 117 million workers or 97 percent of the total existing workforce, as well as collecting up to 60.4 percent of total investment, based on data from the first semester of 2021.

Even though they contribute greatly to the national economy, business players, especially MSMEs in the country, ‘require more seriousness and courage,’ KPMI advisor Dr. Arifin Badri said.

“Apart from that, business actors must also build synergy and networking,” he continued, while emphasizing that the Indonesian Muslim Entrepreneurs Community (KPMI), which is present in 34 provinces and three countries (Japan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) is one of the platforms appropriate for developing business networks.

According to Dr. Arifin, products owned by Muslim entrepreneurs have special value because they are guaranteed halal, have good quality in terms of taste, packaging, and prices that are quite competitive on the market. “Muslim entrepreneurs would of course trade based on rules of halal (permissible by Islamic law.”

“That’s why I really appreciate and support Muslim products, and I invite Muslims to make Muslim products the main alternative in meeting their daily needs,” he said.

“Their products are definitely halal,” the Head of the Dirasat Islamiyah Imam Syafi’i High School (STDIIS) Jember, East Java province, said

Regarding Muslim LifeFair, Dr. Arifin pointed out that the event was not only about increasing product sales, but also finding and expanding networks, introducing brands, and being an opportunity for business actors to conduct market research by looking at other products and business strategies of other entrepreneurs.

“Entrepreneurs must continue to update and upgrade their businesses because we have to be leaders in our country, and we have to be leaders on a larger scale,” he said.

Dr. Arifin gave an example, “today our economy is still dominated by products from outside. “From very small things, such as chili sauce, which was once the product of our wives and parents, today it has become a monopoly for outsiders.”

“Entrepreneurs must continue to update and upgrade their businesses because we have to be leaders at home, and we have to be leaders on a larger scale,” he added.

“Entrepreneurs must continue to synergize and learn, not only in the production chain, but also how to do marketing, build networks, learn pricing, packaging, and product and brand positioning so they can compete,” he explained, adding that, KPMI has KPMI Entrepreneur School (KES) as a medium to upgrade yourself.

“The first Muslim LifeFair in Bogor was extraordinary, both in terms of the scale of visitors and the variety of products. Hopefully the second time would be better and bigger, so that the benefits would be greater and felt by more people,” he concluded.

*1 U.S. dollar = 16,226 rupiahs

Reporting Indonesia Window