TEMPO.CO, Bogor - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani today will launch the ultra-micro loan program in Pasar Angin Village, Bogor. The program will be provided to small businesses in agriculture, fishery and trade sectors that do not have access to banks due to the lack of assets to guarantee the loan.
The program is carried out together with the Marine and Fishery Ministry, Communication and Informatics Ministry, Social Affairs Ministry and Cooperatives and SME Ministry. The program is aimed at enhancing the scale of ultra-micro businesses that would allow them to be self-sufficient.
The Finance Ministry reports that 61 million ultra-micro businesses need access to finance. The existing People’s Business Credit (KUR) program can only reach 17 million micro businesses, whereas 44 ultra-micro business owners who need finance around Rp1-5 million have yet to enjoy such services.
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Therefore, the government has joined hands with state-owned enterprises with ultra-micro characteristics, namely Pegadaian, Permodalan Nasional Mandiri and Bahana Artha Ventura. The companies will distribute loans to cooperatives that will re-distribute them to end users.
Moreover, the government will also provide assistance to ultra-micro businesses. The latter are expected to develop joint businesses to avoid non-performing loans (NPL).
The program will be trialed in 19 villages across Indonesia. The government will be distributing Rp1.5 trillion loans to around 300,000 ultra-micro businesses.
The ultra-micro loan program will be launched simultaneously in 9 locations, which include Megamendung in Bogor with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Cawang in East Jakarta with Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Bojonegoro in East Java with Cooperatives and SME Ministery A.A. Gede Ngurah Puspayoga and Communication and Informatics Minister Rudiantara. The participants of the events will be connected to the teleconference.
GHOIDA RAHMAH
