NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman

Adi Wahyu Prasetya is trying his best to retain the 44 workers he employs at his small family business, Hj. Mbok Sri, which sells fried onions in Palu, Central Sulawesi. The use of digital platforms has helped his small business despite losses caused by the epidemic.

“Previously, we only sold to customers in Palu but now we also ship to other cities as well,” said the young entrepreneur, adding that his market now spanned from Aceh to Papua. “We have seen quite an increase in profit because of digital platforms like WhatsApp Business.”

Still for Adi, who has been running his business since 2017, restrictions imposed due to the epidemic have led to higher logistical costs and delayed shipments from up to four days to two weeks to reach Jakarta, the first COVID-19 epicenter that recently extended its transitional restrictions.

Photo courtesy of lau rey.