SOEs ready to cooperate in establishing coffee ecosystem: Erick Thohir

Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir said the ministry is ready to cooperate with various stakeholders in building an ecosystem for coffee industry.

He noted that it is easier for state enterprises to establish the ecosystem since 96 percent of the commodity is produced by local farmers.

"Hence, I ask for your collaboration. We cannot work alone without the help from regional governments," he stated while delivering his remarks at the Launching of the Project Management Office (PMO) of Kopi Nusantara in Bandar Lampung City, Lampung Province, on Sunday.

In addition, he said, the Trade Ministry, Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, coffee associations, and private parties have also supported the ecosystem.

Quoting the fifth principles of Indonesia’s national ideology Pancasila of ‘Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia’, the minister has assessed that the coffee industry ecosystem will be successful if it can generate welfare for all players included in the industry.

It would be impossible to create an economic balance when the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

"Thus, we must develop the ecosystem together for the welfare of all Indonesians – not only for certain groups of people. Hence, we must maintain our national welfare according to the fifth principle of Pancasila. It is the reason we strive to the various economic ecosystem," he remarked.

Earlier, Thohir said that state firms bear the responsibility to find solutions for the welfare of the farmers by ensuring that the rising global coffee price does not only benefit the middleman, but also brings direct advantage to farmers.

Furthermore, he also stated that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked all programs in ministries and institutions to bring direct impact to the improvement of people's welfare.