UNS — The Regional Leading Product Development Program Team (PPPUD) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta provided assistance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Mitra Karya Manunggal that produce wooden batik mask in Dusun Wisata Bopung, Gunung Kidul on Monday (18/10/2021). PPPUD UNS Surakarta Team led by Prof. Dr. Slamet Subiyantoro, M.Si., and Prof. Dr. Pujiyono, S.H., M.H., Dr. Kristiani, M.Si., and Dwi Maryono, S.Si., M.Kom., as members contributed to the people in Dusun Wisata Bobung, Putat Village, Patuk Subdistrict, Gunung Kidul District through an assistance in developing regional leading products with export quality post-pandemic.
This assistance is a part of the PPUD series funded by the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) or the National Research and Innovation Institute (BRIN) 2021. Mitra Karya Manunggal as the partner of this program is an SME that produces wooden batik masks owned by Sujiman. Under the theme of “Diversity of Wooden Batik Mask Souvenir Design as Leading Export Product Gunung Kidul Yogyakarta in Facing the ASEAN Free Market,” the program will include several activities for SME Mitra Karya Manunggal.
Prof. Dr. Slamet Subiyantoro M.Si., explained that the Covid-19 pandemic had suspended the wooden mask handicraft and his program aims to revive the small businesses in Dusun Bobung Gunungkidul. In implementing their program, the team involved stakeholders in the wooden mask business, including wooden mask craftsmen, dancers, and village government, as represented by the Chief of Dusun Bobung, who mentioned that strategic steps need to be taken to revive the industry amid the pandemic.
The planned program implementation for this year is a focus group discussion that was led by Prof. Slamet, which resulted in information on crucial issues such as depleted crafting tools and marketing issues. Sujiman, the business owner, mentioned that he received great benefits from the program, considering the sluggish business condition. “With the community service program in the form of discussion, there are strategic and synergy of thoughts between university, the community, and stakeholders to revive wooden mask handicraft in Dusun Bobung Gunung Kidul,” Sujiman added.
In the last two years, comprehensive assistance was conducted to help SMEs survive the pandemic, including online product marketing assistance, online bookkeeping assistance, export assistance, industrial management assistance, industrial law assistance, and design assistance. Online marketing assistance aims to introduce craftsmen to the website and social media management as marketing media. Followed by online bookkeeping as an innovation for craftsmen in managing their finance online. The craftsmen also learn about the requirements, procedures, and legal aspects of export, besides industrial management assistance that introduces craftsmen to the procedures for contacting and collaborating with foreign partners. The craftsmen were also introduced to the importance of intellectual property rights and the procedure of handling large contracts under legal agreement in industrial law assistance. Lastly, they were also introduced to the techniques in creating new and unique ideas in design assistance. Humas UNS
Reporter: Zalfaa
Editor: Dwi Hastuti