The Chairperson of the Regional National Crafts Council (Dekranasda) of West Kalimantan is collaborating with several designers to develop handicrafts and traditional heritage products (Wastra) from various regions in West Kalimantan to enhance the competitiveness of West Kalimantan's MSME products for export. "We are focused on implementing the Designer Dispatch Service (DDS) program in 2024 to enhance the competitiveness of the region's export products through designer assistance to business actors," said Acting Chairperson of Dekranasda of West Kalimantan Province, Windy Prihastari Harisson, in Pontianak, Monday. Windy explained that DDS is a facilitation program focusing on designer assistance in design development, resulting in competitive export product prototypes in the global market. This program aims to help export-oriented business actors create quality products that meet international market demands. "This agenda is crucial for developing the Creative Economy and Tourism industry as the main income sector in our region," she said.
Windy emphasized that the principle of the Creative Economy is to transform raw materials into value-added products, allowing West Kalimantan MSMEs to be recognized worldwide. Therefore, artisans need assistance from the resource persons present at this event. She also regretted that a previous demand for West Kalimantan products from Mexico could not be met due to a lack of raw materials and artisans. "The shortage of raw materials and artisans caused the export demand for these products to be unfulfilled. We will discuss this issue with the West Kalimantan MSME forum," she said. Windy hopes that the artisan assistance program implemented today will not be a one-time event but should be continuous to produce increasingly high-quality products. She also emphasized that the product development strategy includes training, mentoring, and promotion through local, national, and international exhibitions. "In various exhibitions, we must actively promote our Wastra and handicraft products to be widely recognized as quality products," said Windy. With these efforts, it is hoped that West Kalimantan can enhance the competitiveness of export products and make a positive contribution to the regional economy.
