Jakarta, Oct. 7 -- Indonesian Trade Minister Budi Santoso urged the country's micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on Tuesday to adopt product barcodes to streamline operations and secure shelf space in modern retail networks.

Speaking at a kick-off event for barcode certification facilitation for packaged food products, Santoso said barcodes are a crucial step in the digitalization process, helping market local goods through modern retailers.

The ministry has partnered with GS1 Indonesia, the authorized issuer of internationally standardized product serial numbers, to provide barcode certification for local packaged food and beauty care products. The first phase targets 50 companies.

While barcodes are necessary to streamline s...