Many Small And Medium Entrepreneurs Benefit From Rupiah's Depreciation

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Darmin Nasution, has said the depreciation of rupiah against the US dollar has benefited many small and medium businesses.

"As you all know, the food, beverage and jewelry industries saw the fastest growth in the past six months, when compared to the past year," he said while speaking at the premises of the Presidential Palace here on Tuesday.

Most of the business agents engaged in the sector were small and medium entrepreneurs, he said.

"Under the current circumstances, most of the small and medium entrepreneurs are enjoying a lot of profit because they receive bigger prices in rupiah ," he said.

However, only export-oriented small and medium entrepreneurs benefited from the rupiah's depreciation against the dollar, while domestic market-oriented small and medium entrepreneurs did not.

"The domestic market-oriented entrepreneurs only rely on the growth of domestic consumption," he said.

He said domestic consumption was highly influenced by the realization of the state budget, village funds and other government expenditure.

"One example is the distribution of rice to prosperous families," he said.

He said the rupiah's depreciation against the dollar had an impact on domestic market-oriented small and medium businesses. (WDY)