Boosting the Local Economy, Pertamina Brings 50 MSMEs to the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023

Central Lombok, October 13, 2023 - The international motor racing event, Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023, in Mandalika, is boosting the economy of West Nusa Tenggara's Lombok community. It includes the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that are impacted directly or indirectly by this annual event.

Once again, entering its second year, Pertamina brought 50 of its fostered MSMEs, including those from Pertamina Lombok Timur's state-owned enterprises (SOEs), to provide souvenirs and food and beverage products in the Mandalika area.

Of all these MSMEs, 42 offer food and beverage products and will liven up the booth area in the Bhinneka Zone (Zone A), located near the North Tunnel. Meanwhile, the remaining 8 MSMEs will be in Zone B, offering Lombok's unique crafts and souvenirs alongside MSMEs from across the archipelago.

Fadjar Djoko Santoso, Vice President of Corporate Communication at PT Pertamina (Persero), explained looking back at the previous year's experience, 90% of the MSMEs this year are in the food and beverage sector to meet the needs during the event. Some foods are characteristic of Lombok, such as ayam taliwang, sate, nasi balap, and various cakes and snacks.

"These food MSME booths are easily accessible to the audience, located near the tunnel that spectators pass through before entering the circuit and close to the automotive product exhibition area," Fadjar explained.

Craft products include various woven items, bamboo weaving, pearls, Lombok's souvenir batik (Batik Sasambo), and more.

Kusman, Batik Sasambo Seagana owner, one of Pertamina's fostered batik businesses, explained that Sasambo is a distinctive NTB batik with motifs heavily influenced by Lombok's customs, as well as its flora and fauna, such as Sasak houses, bamboo, flowers, and starfish.

"We express our gratitude to Pertamina for their support, including training, promotional assistance, product displays, and local and national exhibitions," Kusman said.

Furthermore, Pertamina hopes that involving MSMEs in the MotoGP event serves not only as a means to generate extra income during the event but also as a free promotional opportunity for craft and culinary businesses unique to Lombok. This way, they can be remembered by tourists when they plan to return to Lombok in the future.

In a similar event last year, 50 MSMEs achieved fantastic transactions, nearly IDR 500 million, over two days of the event. "We hope that this year there will be an increase so that this international event in Lombok can positively impact the community. But, most importantly, it is the sustainability of these MSMEs after the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023 event ended," Fadjar explained.

Furthermore, through MSMEs, the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023 event also provides a multiplier effect both in terms of increased income and local labor employment.

Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023 Visitors who wish to purchase Pertamina-sponsored MSME products could take advantage of a 5% discount using the MyPertamina application when making transactions.

The fostered MSMEs involvement in this international event, according to Fadjar, is one of the state-owned enterprises' support for achieving SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), particularly in point 8 related to job creation and economic growth, as well as the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) based programs implementation across Pertamina's operational areas.

Fadjar hopes that the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023 event will directly impact the national economic growth, including local tourism and MSMEs.

"We hope its presence provides an opportunity for businesses and SMEs to penetrate a broader global market," he concluded.

Pertamina, as a leading company in the energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement. All these efforts align with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) implementation across all Pertamina's business lines and operations.**