Project News

The Local Working Group (LWG) for the development of the Ulos fashion industry in Samosir held a meeting on 16 September 2015 where LWG evaluated the outcome of the Local Industry Action Plan (LIAP) that had been implemented for the past two years. Dinas Industry & Trade of Samosir Regency, LWG secretariat, reported that LWG members and other stakeholders had rendered almost 40 support activities (training, technical guidance, machine/raw material provision, support for participation in exhibitions and branding, etc.), while the target producers had taken their own actions as well (new product development, marketing visits to local hotels/ shops, establishment of a joint business group, etc.). LWG evaluated that an objective set in LIAP had been achieved to a certain degree owing to these activities and actions, while ascertaining that the degree of the achievement was not satisfactory enough. LWG attributed this less-satisfactory result to the fact that since the target producers possessed virtually no business experience prior to LIAP facilitation, they still did not adequately recognize that business risk should be taken positively to sustain and expand their business.

LWG has agreed to continue facilitation support for the industry in view of enhancing the degree of the goal achievement even after the LIAP implementation period under the guidance/advice of the Expert Team was terminated in October 2015. Meanwhile, the producers are now transforming the current joint business group, a main target group of LIAP, into a cooperative to reinforce its institutional capacity. LWG is expected to propose and deliver support activities that would assist the cooperative in sustaining and expanding its business operation in the coming years through more active risk-taking behavior.

Terminal evaluation meeting by LWG