Chairman of Kadin Indonesia Arsjad Rasjid and Chairman of the ASEAN-Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) expects an increase in economic activity during Eid al-Adha 2023 which will have a positive impact on the empowerment of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Apart from the implementation of the sacrificial worship, the increase in the economy was also triggered by the stretching of tourism in the regions triggered by the joint leave policy issued by the government. Arsjad Rasjid observed the potential for increased economic activity during this year's celebration.

"We see that the economic value of this year's qurbani has the potential to increase compared to last year's Rp24 trillion. This is in line with the revocation of the covid-19 pandemic status, so that the implementation of sacrifices can return to normal and the distribution of sacrificial meat is also wider than during the pandemic," Arsjad said, in his official statement, Friday, June 30, 2023.

Arsjad also hopes that with the revocation of the covid-19 pandemic status, the distribution of sacrificial meat this year can reach more people. This can help reduce the inequality or gap in national meat consumption. Based on BPS data, Indonesia's per capita consumption of beef and buffalo meat is estimated to be around 2.5 kilograms by 2022, far below the world average consumption of 6.3 kilograms per capita according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

"Qurbani can be an economic force that not only improves the welfare of the lower class but also farmers and MSMEs if managed properly," said Arsjad.

Aldi Haryopratomo, Vice Chairman of Entrepreneurship at Kadin Indonesia and Legacy Lead of ASEAN Wiki Entrepreneur, explained that purchasing sacrificial animals through MSMEs will help the economic process.

"MSMEs play an important role and should be able to capitalize on the momentum of Eid-ul-Adha by providing quality sacrificial animals and developing their marketing channels. At the ASEAN level, we are developing what is called Wiki Entrepreneur, where MSMEs will be able to access MSME development programs that can help them upgrade," said Aldi.

The Entrepreneur Wiki that is being developed through ASEAN-BAC can also be used by MSMEs, for example in the qurbani business, to be able to market their qurbani products even to fellow ASEAN countries.

Looking at the existing data, ASEAN also has various countries with a large Muslim population, so ASEAN as a potential market for qurbani products is also good to try. This can be seen from the total Muslim population in ASEAN of more than 270 million people, spread across Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Various companies such as Sinar Mas, Astra International Tbk, Indika Energy, Bakrie Group, and Mayora Group are also always ready to support the development of MSMEs.

"Sinar Mas always strives to support the entire potential of MSMEs in Indonesia. We have provided training and coaching for MSMEs to increase their productivity and expand their reach so that they can move up," said Chairman CEO of Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, Franky Oesman Widjaja.