JAKARTA | Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Perum Jamkrindo, Braman Setyo, expressed his pride that Indonesian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have successfully entered the Latin American market. These products are marketed through a workshop in Santiago, Chile, South America.
A Chilean entrepreneur named Juan Balaz, the owner of Tigalas Decoration workshop, regularly travels across Indonesia every six months to source various Indonesian handicraft products for sale in his workshop.
"With a turnover of around IDR 250 million per month, these items are sourced from various regions in Indonesia. Juan Balaz utilizes the winter season in Chile to visit different areas in Indonesia and collect MSME products to bring back and sell in Chile," Braman stated in a written statement.
With the support of the Indonesian Ambassador to Chile, Philemon Arobaya, through the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Chile (Embajada De La República De Indonesia), a delegation from Perum Jamkrindo, including the Supervisory Board, directors, and several officials from the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), visited Juan Balaz’s workshop in Santiago on Saturday, October 22, 2016.
The workshop visit coincided with the participation of Perum Jamkrindo’s Board of Directors and Supervisory Board in the MSME Guarantee & Financing Forum organized by the Ibero-American Guarantee Community on October 20-21, 2016. During this forum, Perum Jamkrindo had the opportunity to be one of the speakers, sharing their experience and credit guarantee schemes for MSMEs in Indonesia.
Additionally, Perum Jamkrindo and FOGAPE (a Chilean Guarantee Company) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the exchange of information and experiences in guarantee schemes between the two institutions.
During the visit, the delegation closely examined the collection of Indonesian art products. Tigalas Decoration showcased around 2,000 Indonesian MSME items, including paintings, sculptures, stone crafts, woven fabrics, accessories, wall decorations, and other handmade products. The workshop is located at Alianza Santiago, Vitacura, Region Metropolitana, Santiago.
To support the promotion of Indonesian handicrafts, the Indonesian Trade and Promotion Centre (ITPC) has also facilitated exhibitions at various trade fairs in Chile. However, Braman Setyo, who also serves as the Deputy for Financing at the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, regretted that there is still no trade agreement between Indonesia and Chile. "Hopefully, this trade agreement can be realized soon," he said.
The presence of Tigalas Decoration helps introduce Indonesian culture to Chile and Latin America, allowing local people to visit the workshop, learn about, and purchase various Indonesian handicrafts. Currently, the workshop employs five Chilean workers who not only market the products but also modify them to suit Latin American tastes.
The business activities of entrepreneur Juan Balaz deserve appreciation for facilitating Indonesian MSME products' entry into Chile. This initiative supports the Indonesian government’s efforts to establish a trade agreement between Indonesia and Chile, as the market potential extends beyond handicrafts to various other Indonesian products. (Public Relations)