Banjarbaru – The South Kalimantan Provincial Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Kalsel) officially concluded the 4th 2026 Kadin Provincial Leadership Meeting (Rapimprov), held in conjunction with the 58th anniversary of Kadin Indonesia, in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Thursday (September 24, 2026).

Chairwoman of Kadin South Kalimantan Shinta Laksmi Dewi said the organization continues to work to maximize the region’s economic potential through various initiatives, including the Borneo Business Forum, which will be held regularly every two months.

On the occasion, Shinta also highlighted several regional commodities that had previously served as key export products.

“We want to revitalize the potential of rattan as one of South Kalimantan’s export pillars. Rattan can actually be cultivated, but the current challenge is trade regulations related to the ban on raw material exports,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the 2026 Kadin Rapimprov Organizing Committee Aftahudin explained that the event was held simultaneously across Indonesia in a hybrid format. The meeting was intended to serve as a means of organizational consolidation, strengthen coordination, and optimize the role of the business community in the national and regional economies.

“This Rapimprov serves as a forum for organizational consolidation and development, as well as for gathering input from the business community to formulate strategic steps for advancing South Kalimantan’s economy,” Aftahudin said.

He further explained that the event was held in accordance with the mandate of Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 1 of 1987 on the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as Presidential Decree No. 18 of 2022 concerning the approval of Kadin’s Articles of Association and Bylaws (AD/ART).

Following the presentation of recommendations from the Rapimprov and the presentation of the UMKM Naik Kelas awards to a number of business owners, Assistant III to the South Kalimantan Regional Secretariat Dinansyah, representing South Kalimantan Governor Muhidin, delivered remarks.

In his written remarks, Governor Muhidin emphasized the importance of maintaining a strategic partnership between the government and the business community.

According to him, South Kalimantan has significant potential in agriculture, plantations, fisheries, handicrafts, culinary businesses, the creative economy, as well as trade and services.

“The challenge is how to increase the value of that potential. We must not continue selling raw materials. We must promote downstream processing, processing, branding, and marketing so that products from Banua have greater market value. We want South Kalimantan to become Kalimantan’s logistics gateway so that local products can enter national and international markets,” he said.

Carrying the theme “A People-Centered Economy for a Globally Competitive Indonesia,” Chairwoman of Kadin South Kalimantan Shinta Laksmi Dewi reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting business players of all scales, from large corporations to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

She said Kadin is providing full support to help MSMEs move up the value chain by producing high-quality and competitive products and making a tangible contribution to economic growth.

In addition, Kadin provides support through certification awareness programs, facilitates access to banking services through strategic partnerships, and provides training on standards for product taste, presentation, and packaging.

“We also facilitate MSMEs through bazaars, affordable markets, and exhibitions, particularly for processing and culinary industries,” she said.

In addition to focusing on MSMEs, Kadin South Kalimantan is strengthening its institutional structure at the regency and city levels and has agreed to continue promoting the Borneo Business Forum through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to strengthen downstream processing and regional economic resilience.

Kadin South Kalimantan also highlighted the impact of haze caused by forest and land fires on the business sector. The organization expressed concern over delayed mitigation efforts, which meant that the situation had not been adequately anticipated.

Kadin South Kalimantan hopes that forest and land fire management can be improved in the future so that all elements of the business community can resume their activities safely and actively.