Jakarta – With campaign season in full swing, presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo and his wife visited a toy-producing hub in Central Java, where they highlighted the strength of local producers amid a surge of imports.

Ganjar visited the Jaya Setia Plastik toy factory in Demak on Jan. 2, where he met with workers. He said he had been fond of the company's toys since he started as Central Java governor. He also said he frequently bought their toys to distribute them to children.

"I like children and I like to give out toys. [It was a surprise when] it turned out that there was a big toy factory here," he said during his visit, as quoted by Inews.

The toy factory was founded in 2006 by two local entrepreneurs. Since opening, the business has grown, introducing new toy designs and increasing the number of workers.

"This is noteworthy because it was created by vocational school graduates. The [company's] innovations are also remarkable, from the children's toys, shoes to the mechanical engineering aspect [of the business]," said Ganjar.

Ganjar said he hoped for a brighter future for the domestic toy industry to help buoy the country's economy.

"The hope is that a factory like this can meet the demand for toys and these can be produced domestically," said the presidential hopeful.

The government has expressed concern over a deluge of cheap imports circulating in the country ranging from garments to toys, especially from China, which it had used as a reason to ban e-commerce operations by Chinese tech giant TikTok. TikTok later took on a 75 percent stake in local e-commerce giant Tokopedia to cement its digital presence in the country.

After the major takeover, the government has yet to release any steps to salvage the decline in local manufacturing, especially in the garment industry which has been hit by weakening global demand.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/01/09/ganjar-visits-toy-producing-hub-in-demak.htm