Is the River Economy Still Fully Dependent on Trade?

The ravaged economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the growth and distribution of business field categories to fluctuate, without exception in Sungai Penuh City. Each district/city has a different economic structure, each of which has a category of business fields that are the mainstay or main support for the economy of their region. There are regions that rely on the agricultural sector, there are those that rely on the service sector and so on.

Then what about Sungai Penuh City, what is the mainstay or support for the economy?

From BPS data for Sungai Penuh City, during 2021 the economic growth of Sungai Penuh City grew by 3.67 percent compared to the previous year, which was -0.16 percent. This means that the economy of Sungai Penuh City continues to grow in a positive direction and is gradually recovering. Judging from the publication of the PDRB of Sungai Penuh City Business Field, the category of trading business field in Sungai Penuh City in 2021 contributes 28.97 percent to the GRDP of Sungai Penuh City. BPS Kota Sungai Penuh data for the Trade Category for the last five years, namely 29.15% in 2017, 29.56% in 2018, 29.78% in 2019, 29.31% in 2020 and 28.97% in 2021 Therefore, it can be concluded that the trade sector in Sungai Penuh City is still the largest contributor or supporter to the economic structure of Sungai Penuh City. With a population of 97,770 people and a relatively small area with residents centralized in the city center, this sector can be an option to be developed in the future. The biggest threat from this trade sector is inflation. High inflation means a sharp rise in prices. This can reduce people's purchasing power. In the midst of a global geopolitical crisis that has reduced the supply of goods and services, the government of Sungai Penuh City must maintain inflation and people's purchasing power so that the trade sector, which is the economic support sector, remains stable. It is hoped that the trade sector will not only become the main support for the economy of Sungai Penuh City, but more than that, this sector can also absorb as many workers as possible, so as to reduce the unemployment rate and improve the welfare of the people of Sungai Penuh City as a whole.