ASEAN-Korea Centre builds ASEAN MSMEs’ capacity

By： ASEAN Secretariat Update：2017-04-10

MAKASSAR, 7 April 2017 – To enhance capacity building for ASEAN Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which account for 98% of business establishment in the region, the ASEAN-Korea Centre organised the first Trade Facilitation Workshop for Indonesian Food MSMEs in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia on 4 and 6 April in Jakarta and Makassar respectively.

This was the first in a series of workshops that were designed to facilitate ASEAN-Korea economic cooperation and contribute to mutually beneficial partnership between ASEAN and Korea. Similar workshops focusing on different sectors, based on the needs of ASEAN Member States, will be held later this year in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand and next year for the remaining Member States.

The workshop introduced sourcing trends, branding and marketing strategies, logistics system, as well as up-to-date packaging design and technology to the MSMEs. It also provided one-on-one business consultation to address specific questions regarding access to the Korean market. It was expected that through the workshop, ASEAN MSMEs would enhance their capacity to access the Korean market as well as enjoy the benefits of the ASEAN – Korea Free Trade Area.

Secretary-General of ASEAN-Korea Centre Kim Young-sun; Ms. Arlinda, Director General of the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia; Kim In-ho, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association; and Cho Tai-young, Korean Ambassador to Indonesia graced the opening ceremony of the workshop. It was attended by over 200 Indonesian MSMEs who gained knowledge about the competitiveness and further access to the Korean market.