Indonesia distributes disaster relief to micro businesses in Sumatra

The Indonesian Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) has initiated the distribution of Presidential Assistance (Banpres) to rehabilitate micro-businesses affected by disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

Following a data verification and cleansing process involving 173,000 initial entries, 112,849 recipients have been validated for the first phase. The distribution includes 70,296 recipients in Aceh, 25,491 in North Sumatra, and 17,062 in West Sumatra. To ensure accuracy, officials verified National Identity Numbers (NIK) and excluded individuals who are civil servants, military/police personnel, or current recipients of People's Business Credit (KUR).

Minister Maman Abdurrahman stated that the goal is to complete distribution by December 2026. Beyond direct financial aid, the Ministry is implementing recovery programs including providing production tools, revitalizing a shared production house, and empowering over 12,000 affected entrepreneurs.