Social Affairs Minister Invites Beneficiaries to Enter the Middle and Export Markets Through PENA TV

JAKARTA (7 August 2023) - Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini invited beneficiaries who are currently starting businesses to enter the middle and export markets. There is an opportunity to expand their businesses and increase revenue by entering such markets.

This statement was conveyed by the Minister when giving a speech at the Indonesian Economic Heroes (PENA) Special Talk Show on PENA TV on Sunday (6/8). She claimed that buyers from the middle class do not hesitate to pay more for good-quality products. Therefore, beneficiaries were required to improve their product quality to attract more customers.

Some of the ways are through branding, registering products, and business legality. "Why did I teach you to build the brand and pay attention to the packaging? Exclusive packaging and powerful brands will appeal to wealthy customers. They will purchase products with those features regardless of the price," said the Minister.

Furthermore, the Minister instructed the recipients to study export-worthy products and current market trends. Due to the rigorous requirements, it undoubtedly necessitates more effort. "For example, the size must be stated on the packaging, and the products do not contain ingredients that are prohibited. The color of the packaging is also regulated," the Minister explained.

The Minister then gave an example of the trend toward using biodegradable plastics. Beneficiaries must be sensitive to changes and trends to avoid falling behind. Beneficiaries are expected to be able to read market opportunities and attract customers, especially the buyer segment.

"We can create two similar brands with two different values, one of which is acceptable to the upper middle class," she said.

So far, the Minister has witnessed many beneficiaries who are satisfied with their current customers, even though their income is just enough to meet their basic needs. For this reason, the Minister motivated them to continue learning and to be less complacent.

"Don't be tired of learning because that's where we get the knowledge that we can achieve success," the Minister said.

PENA TV is regularly present among beneficiaries who want to become entrepreneurs by providing educational shows about starting a business. Other than sharing business tips, PENA TV also invites notable speakers whose actions have been recognized by small and medium businesses. Beneficiaries can directly get feedback from the experts on practice or sales performance.

There were also online bazaar sessions of ATENSI Creation Centers (SKA) belonging to the technical implementation units. Here, beneficiaries can practice directly how to sell online. On Sunday (6/8), the Social Welfare Polytechnic in Bandung exhibited the beneficiaries’ products that had previously participated in the training.

PENA TV is not only accessible to beneficiaries, but the public can join via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook.