Empowering of Small Businesses in Community Development in Merauke, South Papua Crocodile’s Leather Craftsman

This study discusses the empowerment of crocodile skin handicrafts by the Department of Cooperatives, Industry and Trade of Merauke Regency. This study aims to determine the efforts to empower the Merauke Regency Industry and Trade Cooperatives Service towards crocodile skin craft business in Merauke Regency. This study uses a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. Determination of informants using purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through observation, direct interviews and documentation. The results showed that the efforts to empower the crocodile skin craft business by the Department of Cooperatives, Industry and Trade of Merauke Regency were not optimal. This refers to the empowerment that has been carried out by the Department of Cooperatives, Industry and Trade of Merauke Regency which is generally still oriented to the routine work of the government. Such conditions ultimately hampered the process of empowering crocodile skin crafts on Bumi animha Merauke. The researcher recommends the Department of Cooperatives, Industry and Trade of Merauke Regency to carry out intensive socialization of the use of galze and coloring techniques as well as the use of information, communication and technology to distribute crocodile skins, synergize with craftsmen to strengthen business independence and for crocodile skin crafts it is better to start actualizing themselves in improve the ability to find and take advantage of opportunities so that the sale of crocodile skin products is more easily accessible to the market.