Setting the Stage for Bandar Lampung MSME Products

Micro, small and medium enterprises are turning the cogs of the economy in Bandar Lampung city. The support of the Bandar Lampung administration has accelerated the revival of the MSMEs after the Covid-19 pandemic.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Various creations of tapis cloth and usus embroidery are on display at Rahayu Gallery which is located on Soekarno Hatta Street, Tanjung Senang District, in Bandar Lampung City, Wednesday (22/2/2023).

Tri Indah Noviana, 42, was anxiously waiting for the disbursement of a zero percent interest loan program that was rolled out by the Bandar Lampung administration. After registering and qualifying for verification by banks, she hoped that the Rp 50 million business capital loan could be disbursed before Idul Fitri 2023.

"I plan to use the capital to increase production capacity and tidy up the gallery so that visitors are more comfortable," Tri said when met at her home in Bandar Lampung, Lampung, on Friday (17/2/2023).

While tidying the terrace and the living room of her house, which had been transformed into a gallery, the owner of the handicraft business Omah Cinta Gallery checked online orders via her phone.

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She was very grateful to be able to access the capital without interest and without collateral. The government had also prepared facilities to exhibit products.

In Kemiling district now stands a small and medium enterprise (SME) center. The building, which was built by the Bandar Lampung administration, is jointly used as a gallery by the Lampung tapis (traditional woven fabric) and batik business entrepreneurs.

"For the time being, we take turns maintaining the gallery. This building also began to be used for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) training to be more crowded," she said.

The construction of the building confirms Kemiling district as the traditional textile center of Bandar Lampung. For decades, Kemiling has been the birthplace of various Lampung textile businesses. A number of Lampung batik and tapis entrepreneurs who have been active for a long time are there.

For the time being, we take turns maintaining the gallery.

The pioneers of the business in Kemiling, such as Laila Al-Khusna, 65, the owner of Batik Siger, and Gatot Kartiko, 57, the owner of Gabovira, still exist. In recent years, more and more young business entrepreneurs have emerged in the tapis and batik business.

One of them is Sulastri, 39, who has been making batik tulis (hand drawn batik) with natural dyes since 2019. She worked with Laila Al-Khusna and has followed in the footsteps of her teacher by plunging into the batik tulis business. She makes natural dyes from jengkol (stinky bean) skin boiled in water and Sungkai twigs, which have caused her business skyrocket.

Now, she empowers five to 10 housewives in Kemiling to make batik. In one month, she produces 120 batik tulis pieces.

‘Keripik’

In addition to tapis and batik, there are also a keripik (chip) center located on Gg. PU in Kedaton district, Bandar Lampung. In the alley, dozens of stalls sell various banana and cassava chips. More and more knick-knacks are sold in the keripik center, including coffee, opak (a traditional snack), molen, crackers, banana pie, fruit chips and frozen fried bananas.

Sinta, 36, a banana chip business owner who started her business in 2005, said that Gg. PU was increasingly known as a center for knick-knacks for tourists. Every month, the turnover of money from the sale and purchase of chips in the area could be billions of rupiah.

Sinta, who is also the chairperson of the Bangek Banana Chips Cooperative, continues to encourage food business people in Bandar Lampung to manage business licensing, P-IRT certificates and halal certificates.

This is important to increase consumer confidence. Complete licensing also makes it easier for SMEs when applying for capital loans to banks.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Sinta showed processed banana products at her shop in Bandarlampung.

Henny Puspita Sari, 53, a lapis legit and pempek (fish cake) business player, said that at present, the process of business licensing was very easy and could be accessed from home through the digital system. Business actors are not charged anything.

Henny, who also applied for a business capital loan of Rp 50 million, said that the money was used to develop a pastry business ahead of Idul Fitri 2023. With additional capital, she could recruit three workers so that her production increased. She targeted her turnover to be more than Rp 100 million during Ramadan.

Head of the Bandar Lampung City Industry Office, Adiansyah, said business capital loans with zero rupiah interest and without collateral were rolled out to reduce the burden on business actors.

At present only a few dozen SMEs have made use of the program. In fact, there are 57,019 MSMEs in Bandar Lampung. Some are constrained because they still have similar capital loans so they do not pass verification by banks.

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Bandar Lampung has eight SME centers at eight different points. In addition to the batik, tapis and keripik center, there is also a center of usus (intestinal) embroidery, Lampung shirts, chips, processed fish and coffee. Plans are underway to develop a tour of the centers.

The dean of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Lampung, Nairobi, said the strategy of the Bandar Lampung administration to develop the MSME and tourism sectors was quite appropriate. As an urban area, the locally generated revenue of the Bandar Lampung area was supported by the tax payments of hotels, restaurants and shops. The progress of the MSME sector will also have an impact on regional progress.

Sumatra Institute of Technology tourism studies lecturer Rahmattullah Harianja said that to develop the concept of the city tour, the government had to ensure accessibility to SME centers in good condition. In addition to good road condition, access to public transportation that connected SME centers also had to be adequate to facilitate tourists.

The development of SME centers in Bandar Lampung has indeed become the flagship program of Bandar Lampung Mayor Eva Dwiana. Through the program, she has tried to boost the economy of business actors to advance the regional economy.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.