Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North Gorontalo Regency, Gorontalo Province, have successfully made their first exports of fresh king mackerel and grouper to Singapore. We are grateful that the fresh fish products from SMEs in this coastal region have penetrated the international market, according to Latif Helmi, Head of the Gorontalo Customs and Excise Office, in Gorontalo on Wednesday. The efforts of the Customs and Excise Office in developing SMEs have borne fruit by facilitating the entry of SME products from this regency into the international market, specifically Singapore. The inaugural export activity was carried out by UD Faris, involving fresh king mackerel and grouper as commodities.
Latif Helmi emphasised the crucial role of SMEs in Indonesia's economic development. The Customs and Excise Office's role in exporting SMEs is also vital. According to him, the ceremonial inaugural export by UD Faris demonstrates the essential role of SMEs in Indonesia's economy and shows that SMEs can penetrate international markets. With the determination and courage of SMEs themselves, we believe that every SME has an equal opportunity to actively contribute as an economic driver of the country, according to him. As a vertical institution under the Ministry of Finance, the Customs and Excise Office has two main tasks: industrial assistance and trade facilitation, which are essential for the country's economy and domestic business development. In addition, the Customs and Excise Office also plays an important role in providing guidance to SMEs. We are ready to assist SMEs from the beginning of business development to eventually being able to export, working together with the Ministry of Finance and other agencies. Latif stated that they continue to optimise the SMEs in the surrounding areas through the establishment of an SME empowerment team. The Gorontalo Customs Office has an export clinic ready to provide guidance to prospective exporters at no cost. For this inaugural export, UD Faris sent a total of four packages with a net weight of 162 kilograms of fresh king mackerel and grouper to Singapore. This inaugural export activity serves as a platform to demonstrate to SME actors in this region, particularly in the capture fisheries sector. Ruslan, the Director of UD Faris, mentioned that in the past, they were only suppliers to exporters outside of Gorontalo. However, this time, they have succeeded in exporting independently.
