Jakarta, Sept. 8 -- Finance Ministry's Expert Staff for State Expenditure Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha said only 36.6 percent, or Rp52.09 trillion of the Rp123.47-trillion stimulus allocated for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) was spent until August 2020.

"If we see, it was a bit slow at first. Only Rp1 trillion was absorbed in July. However, this August, the realization increased by almost Rp21 trillion," Nugraha remarked during a webinar titled "Prospects for Economic Recovery in the Small and Medium Industry Sector" on Tuesday.

Nugraha expounded that of the ceiling of Rp123.47 trillion, five programs were implemented to support the recovery of MSMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First, a budget of Rp35.28 trillion was disb...