TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government is preparing for the National Online Shopping Day event, dubbed the Harbolnas, next month with a target transaction of almost Rp30 trillion. Several ministries held a meeting on this at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Thursday, November 28, 2024.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Communications and Digital, and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI). "We will discuss the national online shopping day, Harbolnas. Because it will encourage domestic purchases, both online and offline," Airlangga said when asked before the meeting.

The government is targeting total transactions of around Rp28 trillion to Rp30 trillion this year, compared to the previous Rp25 trillion. "Last year in 2023, it was Rp25.7 trillion. This year, we expect an increase of 13 to 16 percent," said Moga Simatupang, director general of domestic trade at the Trade Ministry, after the meeting.

According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, the 16 percent increase target is equivalent to Rp28 trillion. Meanwhile, Minister of UMKM Maman Abdurrahman estimated that the total transactions could reach Rp30 trillion.

This year's Harbolnas will be the 12th celebration since it was first held in 2012. The implementation will take place online and offline in several shopping malls, involving micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Minister Airlangga revealed that this year's Harbolnas event schedule will be extended - from usually until December 12, now until December 16. Then, he said, there will be a two-day travel fair or tourism exhibition, followed by the "Shopping in Indonesia" (BINA) activity until December 29. "There is a priority to buy domestic products," he said after meeting with ministry officials.

MSME Minister Maman Abdurrahman said that Harbolnas will be a momentum to drive the MSME movement. On the one hand, he said, the government also wants to support MSMEs that operate only offline. "Because there are also many MSMEs who are not yet familiar with online shopping. So later we will also support those offline," said Maman from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office.

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