JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry continues to encourage the development of small and medium industries (IKM) of footwear producers in order to increase their competitiveness. Moreover, as the world's 4th largest footwear production center, Indonesia has the potential to become a competitive local shoe producer in the global arena, with quality equivalent to world-renowned brands.
There are two local shoe brands that are proven to be able to penetrate the global market, including Sagara Boots and Pijakbumi. Both are partners of the Indonesian Shoe Industry Development Agency (BPIPI) Sidoarjo, a technical implementation unit under the guidance of the Directorate General of Small, Medium and Various Industries (IKMA) of the Ministry of Industry.
"BPIPI cooperates with Sagara Boots and Pijakbumi to enter the ecosystem of national footwear industry players because they have succeeded in being examples of quality footwear IKM players. The success stories of these two IKMs are expected to inspire other SMEs to be more adept at reading opportunities in domestic and foreign markets," said the Director General of IKMA at the Ministry of Industry, Reni Yanita in Jakarta, Thursday (30/12).
Until the third quarter of 2021, the total export value of Indonesian footwear (leather and non-leather) reached USD 4.3 billion. Meanwhile, the total GDP of the leather, leather goods and footwear industry reached IDR20 trillion or grew 7% (y-o-y) in the third quarter of 2021.
The founder and owner of Sagara Boots, Bagus Satrio, said that more and more foreign media were exposing the ability of the Indonesian shoe industry to produce quality boots that could compete with world-class products. Therefore, local shoe products can be known by the world community. (LM)