0 Bali’s products should be distinctive

Bali-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should be able to make products with more distinctive charateristics if they want to compete in the international market. Eko Prabowo, chairman of the Bali Export Development Organization (BEDO) — a non-profit business support organization for Indonesian SMEs based in Bali, said most export-oriented products created by SMEs in Bali had yet to “have a strong identity and their producers did not fully understand the international market’s taste”. 

“Many of them are simply following the trend without having a strong design characteristic showing that the products are from Bali, produced by Balinese people,” he told Bali Daily recently, citing several examples of such products, like furniture, bamboo crafts, silver crafts, home decor and fashion. He said SMEs in Bali had great potential to expand their export market, even in the midst of the economic crises in Europe and the US, as long as they had a better ability to seize the business opportunities available. 

“Therefore, our organization aims to train them to show their identity in their products and to understand market taste, to be able to compete with products from other countries.” The non-profit organization, working in partnership with the Trade Ministry’s directorate general for national export development and the Netherlands-based Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) and some other institutions, was established to empower Indonesian SMEs to reach international-standard quality by providing training and sharing of information and skills. 

The SMEs assisted by the organization are those in the handicraft, furniture, home furnishing and decorations, fashion, textiles and jewelry sectors. The workshop/training was entering its second year now, with 10 SMEs participating, of which five were from Bali, two from Jakarta, one from West Java, one from Central Java and one from East Java, Eko said. The SMEs are selected based on the audit results of exports, finance, supply chain and other relevant requirements. They should also be English and computer-literate. “This workshop is a pilot project that will run for three years. 

We are entering the second year now. In the previous year, 10 SMEs joined our program and they have managed to gain a wider market and more profits.” In the workshop, the SMEs learn various aspects of business management, product design and analyzing how to make best selling products. The organization provides continuous training on design, business management, quality control and other important topics with national and international coaching organizations. It also facilitates the SMEs to participate in national and international trade fairs, including Indonesian Trade Expo, Hong Kong Trade Fair and Ambiente. 

This year, the SMEs will take part in exhibitions in Vietnam and Germany, which will enable them not only to promote their products, but also to broaden their knowledge of innovation for their products. “To promote Balinese products, we organize expos several times a year in Bali at strategic locations. Our trade team also organizes expos and conferences abroad,” Eko said, adding that through the organization, SMEs also had the opportunity to join the network of Balinese exporters to give them greater power in the market.

source : bali daily