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Pelindo develops Kotabaru Seaport
Jumat, 7 Juli 2017 07:53 WIB - 726 Views

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Pelindo's seaport in Pekanbaru, Riau. (bcpekanbaru.beacukai.go.id)

Banjarmasin, S.Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Seaport Management Company, PT Pelindo III Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan continues to develop several ports in the province, including Kotabaru and Tanah Bumbu to support the improvement of services and economic growth.

General Manager of Pelindo III Banjarmasin, Fariz Hariyoso, here on Thursday said the development of the ports is aimed at improving economic growth, while improving services for the people and investors.

"We will continue to improve the services of loading and unloading of goods, and transport to other provinces and even to various countries," he said.

Currently, the government is also building Swarangan seaport in Tanah Laut district to facilitate the process of transporting various export commodities produced in the area.

In addition to developing the port, PT. Pelindo III also continues to complete seaport facilities with a variety of advanced equipment.

According to Fariz, to support the loading and unloading activities currently there are six container cranes and 16 rubber tired gantry cranes operating.

"In addition, we also add some other supporting tools to speed up the loading and unloading process," he said.

Each year over 30,000 boxes per month are transported and shipped through the port, making it one of the dense seaport in Kalimantan.

(KR-LWA/H-YH)
Editor: Suryanto

COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2017
 
As member of G20, Mr. Presiden arrived in Hamburg for G20 summit 2017
 
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Indonesia, Turkey ink investment cooperation agreement worth US$250 million
10 hours ago | 800 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Turkey have inked a cooperation agreement on investment worth US$250 million (Rp6.7 trillion) during the visit of President Joko Widodo to Ankara, Turkey, this week.

Head of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong noted in a written statement here on Friday that the cooperation was contained in two memoranda of understanding (MoUs).

One MoU pertains to cooperation worth $320 million between Indonesias state-owned shipbuilding company PT PAL and Turkish electricity energy and powership firm Karadeniz Holding.

The other MoU covers cooperation between Indonesias state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia and the Turkish Aerospace Industry, with an agreement worth $200 million.

"The agreement covers the production of four powerships, with an electricity generation capacity of 36-80 megawatts (MW)," Lembong revealed.

Lembong said the cooperation to build powerships is in line with the Indonesian governments commitment to meeting the electricity needs of its people in isolated areas and to achieve the countrys target of developing power plants having a cumulative capacity of 35 thousand MW.

"The opportunity to invest in the production of powerships is huge. Hence, we will continue to monitor the commitment made by the two firms," the BKPM chief remarked.

He said the cooperation between PT PAL and Karadeniz Holding is expected to fill the gap for regional electricity supply vessels.

"Neighboring countries, such as the Philippines and Myanmar, are potential customers for the company," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the agreement between PT Dirgantara Indonesia and the Turkish Aerospace Industry covers three main points.

The agreements include cooperation in the fields of marketing & production extension of N219 and UAV-ANKA as well as the joint development and production of N245, particularly to expand reach in the Southeast Asian market, including Indonesia.

During the presidents work visit to Turkey, two types of agreements were signed: government partnership in health and economy and business cooperation.

Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita signed the Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the Turkish government. In addition to the trade minister, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi represented the government in signing the health partnership agreement.

Business agreements between Indonesian and Turkish companies were represented by three state-owned Indonesian firms and three Turkish companies.

Investment cooperation between Indonesian and Turkish companies is expected to increase the value of Turkeys investment realization, which is still small in Indonesia.

Based on BKPMs data for the first quarter of 2017, the realization of Turkish investment was only $0.1 million, spread across nine projects. The value indicates that no new investment was made by Turkey during that period.(*)
 
Indonesia, Turkey ink investment cooperation agreement worth US$250 million
10 hours ago | 800 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Turkey have inked a cooperation agreement on investment worth US$250 million (Rp6.7 trillion) during the visit of President Joko Widodo to Ankara, Turkey, this week.

Head of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong noted in a written statement here on Friday that the cooperation was contained in two memoranda of understanding (MoUs).

One MoU pertains to cooperation worth $320 million between Indonesias state-owned shipbuilding company PT PAL and Turkish electricity energy and powership firm Karadeniz Holding.

The other MoU covers cooperation between Indonesias state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia and the Turkish Aerospace Industry, with an agreement worth $200 million.

"The agreement covers the production of four powerships, with an electricity generation capacity of 36-80 megawatts (MW)," Lembong revealed.

Lembong said the cooperation to build powerships is in line with the Indonesian governments commitment to meeting the electricity needs of its people in isolated areas and to achieve the countrys target of developing power plants having a cumulative capacity of 35 thousand MW.

"The opportunity to invest in the production of powerships is huge. Hence, we will continue to monitor the commitment made by the two firms," the BKPM chief remarked.

He said the cooperation between PT PAL and Karadeniz Holding is expected to fill the gap for regional electricity supply vessels.

"Neighboring countries, such as the Philippines and Myanmar, are potential customers for the company," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the agreement between PT Dirgantara Indonesia and the Turkish Aerospace Industry covers three main points.

The agreements include cooperation in the fields of marketing & production extension of N219 and UAV-ANKA as well as the joint development and production of N245, particularly to expand reach in the Southeast Asian market, including Indonesia.

During the presidents work visit to Turkey, two types of agreements were signed: government partnership in health and economy and business cooperation.

Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita signed the Indonesia-Turkey Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the Turkish government. In addition to the trade minister, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi represented the government in signing the health partnership agreement.

Business agreements between Indonesian and Turkish companies were represented by three state-owned Indonesian firms and three Turkish companies.

Investment cooperation between Indonesian and Turkish companies is expected to increase the value of Turkeys investment realization, which is still small in Indonesia.

Based on BKPMs data for the first quarter of 2017, the realization of Turkish investment was only $0.1 million, spread across nine projects. The value indicates that no new investment was made by Turkey during that period.(*)
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TAI ANKA
 
Russia to build 575-kilometer railway track in E Kalimantan
9 hours ago | 808 Views

Balikpapan, E Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Russian Railways and its subsidiary company in Indonesia, PT Kereta Api Borneo, have planned to develop a 575-kilometers train track that would cross four sub-districts in the area, with a total investment of US$2 million.

"There will be two train tracks; first is the Northern line of 305 kilometers and the second is the Southern line of 270 kilometers," CEO of PT Kereta Api Borneo, Sergey Kuznetsov, stated in Balikpapan on Monday.

The Northern line will connect the Tabang area in Kutai Kartanegara, with Maloy in the coast of East Kutai, while the Southern line will start from Melak in West Kutai and end in Buluminung in the Penajam Paser Utara area.

The construction itself is expected to be completed by 2022.

"At the moment, we have completed a number of studies including geophysics and hydrology. We have also tested 2 thousand different soil samples along the track locations," Head of the companys Business and Development Vladimir Volkov noted.

Both tracks will be used for the transportation of goods, including natural resources such as Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and coal.

Five years after transportation of goods, the railway would start carrying passengers as well.

Governor of East Kalimantan Awang Faroek Ishak explained that there should be a complex process to gain permit and a more comprehensive cooperation with PT Kereta Api Indonesia for the carriage to be able to transport passengers.

The governor further stated that at the end of the Northern line in Maloy of the East Kutai coast, a harbor will be built.

"There will be a harbor, coal stockpile, and moving facilities such as rolling belts and cranes, both in Maloy and Buluminung. They will have the capacity of 5 million tons per year," he elaborated.

Furthermore, it has been previously reported that along the sides of both planned tracks, there will be mines owned by large mining corporations.

For example, there is a mine owned by PT Gunung Bayan Pratama, a corporation owned by a Malaysian businessman Dato Low Tuck Kwong, along the Southern line.

On the Northern line track location, there are mines that are being managed by PT Kiradin and Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), which manages the largest open pit coal mining in the world.

The track will also pass by a number of palm oil plantations that are managed by the company.

"We are allowing PT Kereta Api Borneo to speak Business-to-Business with the corporations mentioned. As a representative of the government, we will provide as much facility as we can," Awang explained.

Russian investors are no strangers to Indonesias region of East Kalimantan. In the era of the countrys first president Soekarno, Russians had taken up a number of projects.

One of the well-known ones until today include the Balikpapan-Samarinda road project, which is 110 kilometers long.

A lot of expatriates and senior citizens still refer to the road as the Russian road, while today, people refer to it as the Soekarno-Hatta road. (*)

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Indonesia-Iran agree to finalize trade negotiation in 2017
9 hours ago | 698 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Iran have agreed to finalize negotiation on the Preferential Trade Agreement (II-PTA) by the end of 2017, to expand access and diversify of exported products to non-traditional markets.

Chief of the Indonesian team in the negotiation Made Ayu Marthini stated that a wider access for Indonesian as well as Iranian products to the market is expected to increase bilateral trade to US$2 billion per year.

"To benefit the momentum of implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Indonesia and Iran have shared optimism to finalize II-PTA by the end of 2017," Made noted in a statement here on Monday.

Indonesia and Iran on Sunday held the third negotiation on II-PTA in Tehran, Iran, after it was stalled in 2015.

During the negotiation, both countries discussed draft text on II-PTA, modality, and request list to facilitate products that would have the preference to be exported to each countries.

"Thus business operators from both Indonesia and Iran could get maximum benefit from the II-PTA," made remarked.

Both countries have sought the agreement to set payment mechanism in the transaction; thus, businessmen would not only enjoy tariff reduction but also exemption or reduction of transaction cost when the II-PTA is implemented.

II-PTA is an agreement between Indonesia and Iran to reduce or abolish some export tariffs from both countries. The legal basis for the agreement was signed in 2005 by both trade ministers in Tehran.

In 2008, the two countries have agreed to establish the Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) to negotiate the II-PTA.

The first negotiation was held in 2010, followed by the second negotiation in 2015.

Bilateral trade between Indonesia and Iran during January-March has increased significantly by 457.36 percent, compared to the same period of 2016.

The total trade between the two countries reached US$338.6 million in 2016, up by 23.99 percent compared to US$273.1 million of trade in 2015.

Based on a data of the Indonesian Trade Ministry, bilateral trade between Indonesia and Iran during 2012 was recorded at US$1.3 billion, down by US$568.4 million in 2913.

The trade dropped further to US$448.7 million in 2014, and reached its record low in 2015.(*)

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Turkey, Indonesia to forge closer ties in various fields
1 hour ago | 299 Views
Pewarta: Fardah


Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and one of its closest partners, Turkey, have established cooperation in several fields, particularly in the economic, political, education, and strategic industries.

In fact, Turkish-Indonesian relations can be traced back to the 12th century when Turkish Islamic scholars had visited Indonesia to spread Islamic teachings.

To strengthen the bilateral ties further, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had made a state visit to Indonesia from July 30 to August 1, 2015, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

On July 6, this year, it was President Joko Widodos (Jokowis) turn to pay a reciprocal visit to Turkey. Jokowi commenced his state visit to Turkey by holding a one-on-one meeting with Erdogan.

The two presidents discussed economic development and security cooperation, including on counterterrorism efforts.

They also witnessed the signing of documents of agreements on health and economic cooperation at the White Palace in Ankara.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi signed the document of agreement on health cooperation, while Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita signed the document of inauguration of negotiations on Indonesian-Turkish Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IT-CEPA).

"I welcome the signing of the two cooperation agreement documents between the governments of Indonesia and Turkey in the fields of health and the launch of negotiations on Indonesian and Turkish Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement," Jokowi stated.

Indonesia is keen to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, and economic by inaugurating IT-CEPA, which had been discussed since 2015.

"We have agreed to restore the positive trend in trade and investment, among others, through the IT-CEPA," President Jokowi noted.

President Erdogan expressed interest in establishing cooperation and partnership in various fields with Indonesia.

It is becoming increasingly important for Turkey and Indonesia to forge closer cooperation and partnership in various fields, Erdogan noted.

The countries also agreed to prioritize bilateral cooperation in several other fields, such as defense, energy, and counterterrorism.

Defense cooperation between the two countries has delivered significant results, with the launch of a medium-class tank called Kaplan, produced by Indonesia and Turkey.

In addition to the collaboration on tank production, both countries have agreed to work together in the aviation sector through the inking of a memorandum of understanding between PT DI and Turkish Aerospace Industry.

In the field of energy cooperation, Turkey is supporting Indonesia to supply electricity to regions in several Indonesian islands. Turkish electricity supply vessels have been operational in Medan, Amurang, Bolok, and Ambon to provide power to those regions.

After holding the bilateral meeting with Erdogan, the Indonesian head of state met the chief executive officers (CEOs) of three Turkish strategic industrial companies to discuss investment expansion.

The three CEOs were from Karadeniz Holding, Hitay Energy Holding, and Turkish Aerospace Industries.

On the occasion, the president also attended a business forum along with prospective investors and businesspersons who have invested in Indonesia.

Also present at the forum were Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rosan P. Roeslani and some entrepreneurs from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Minister Lukita confirmed that Indonesia will remove factors that hinder trade with Turkey, including import and export duties on some commodities agreed by the two countries.

"Our trade value with Turkey reached US$1.3 billion in 2016, decreasing by 14 percent from that in the previous year," the minister said, adding that one of the causes of decline was tariffs.

"It is expected that by the end of this year or early next year, we will agree and start with trade in goods first," Enggartiasto stated, adding that the partnership is expected to increase the trade volume of two countries, considering the close bilateral relations and long history of friendship between the two countries.

The abolition of import duty to zero percent, is very likely to be realized, he added.

In the near future, Indonesia and Turkey will submit a list of commodities that are free of the import and export duties.

In the field of investment, the two countries inked a cooperation agreement on investment worth US$250 million (Rp6.7 trillion) during the state visit.

Head of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong noted in a written statement on July 7 that the cooperation was contained in two MoUs.

One MoU pertains to cooperation worth $320 million between Indonesias state-owned shipbuilding company PT PAL and Turkish electricity energy and powership firm Karadeniz Holding.

The other MoU covers cooperation between Indonesias state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia and the Turkish Aerospace Industry, with an agreement worth $200 million.

"The agreement covers the production of four powerships, with an electricity generation capacity of 36-80 megawatts (MW)," Lembong revealed.

Lembong said the cooperation to build powerships is in line with the Indonesian governments commitment to meeting the electricity needs of its people in isolated areas and to achieve the countrys target of developing power plants having a cumulative capacity of 35 thousand MW.

"The opportunity to invest in the production of powerships is huge. Hence, we will continue to monitor the commitment made by the two firms," the BKPM chief remarked.

He said the cooperation between PT PAL and Karadeniz Holding is expected to fill the gap for regional electricity supply vessels.

"Neighboring countries, such as the Philippines and Myanmar, are potential customers for the company," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the agreement between PT Dirgantara Indonesia and the Turkish Aerospace Industry covers three main points.

The agreements include cooperation in the fields of marketing & production extension of N219 and UAV-ANKA as well as the joint development and production of N245, particularly to expand reach in the Southeast Asian market, including Indonesia.

In the counterterrorism cooperation, President Erdogan has believed Indonesia is a country that is capable of facing terrorism.

He asserted that terrorism in any form must be resisted. The objective of an organization, such as ISIS, is to destroy peace, he said.

The Turkish President also emphasized the importance of cooperation on the exchange of intelligence information between both states.

To that end, the two countries agreed to build an information technology system of intelligence that will allow the two countries to cooperate in order to eradicate terrorism.

"The development of IT System in intelligence will make the works easier in order to eradicate terrorism," Jokowi said.

Last but not least, Indonesia expressed gratitude to Turkey for its support for Indonesias nomination as a member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2019-2020.

"Indonesia appreciates Turkeys support for Indonesias candidacy in the UN Security Council nomination for 2019-2020," Jokowi stated.(*)
 
Indonesia needs to lead efforts to eradicate global illegal fishing
1 hour ago | 203 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia needs to lead global efforts in eradicating illegal fishing since it is closely linked to other crimes that need to be addressed through international cooperation.

"Indonesia should lead the formation of new norms in the fight against illegal fishing in the region and also at the global level," Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan stated here on Tuesday.

According to Pandjaitan, at the regional level, Indonesia has led a regional meeting that will form a legal instrument to combat illegal fishing.

He noted that the effort involves countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, Korea, Japan, the US, and EU countries.

"Japan, the US, and the EU need to be involved as the worlds fishery market countries. The EU is the worlds largest fish importer, amounting to 24 percent of the total value of fish business in the world. Without pressure from the worlds biggest market, efforts to combat illegal fishing will be difficult to be carried out," he explained.

In addition, he said, at the Association of Indian Ocean Oversight Countries Summit in Jakarta, some time ago, a document of cooperation on fighting illegal fishing was agreed.

Another effort is through international symposiums on fishery crimes held in several countries.

"Indonesia should use this momentum to demonstrate its leadership," he said.

Earlier, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti had urged all sides to understand that Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing is an organized transnational crime, which can also be linked to trafficking, drug smuggling, illegal fuel oil transactions, smuggling of rare animal species, and other crimes.

The minister believes that such an understanding should encourage the formation of an independent expert team that will recommend plans to institutionalize fishery crimes.

According to Pudjiastuti, Indonesia has borne witness to crimes of human rights violations, including human trafficking, and child slavery, as well as physical and sexual abuse that occurred aboard fishing vessels.

The minister said the smuggling of foodstuffs and other items, such as rice, onion, and clothing, as well as drugs, alcohol, and narcotics also often occur.

"They also smuggle endangered wildlife, such as parrots and armadillos," the minister noted.

Pudjiastuti expressed hope that the UN member countries would not let illegal fishing take place in any regions.(*)
 
Surabaya explores cooperation with Turkey
6 hours ago | 646 Views

Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - The Surabaya City Administration is exploring cooperation with the Turkish Government in economic and construction sectors.

"One of the cooperation that will be built by both parties is the economic sector," Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini said during a meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Indonesia M.K. Sander Gurbuz here on Wednesday.

According to her, President Jokowi Widodo had earlier stated during a visit to Turkey that there would be a free trade zone area that would facilitate both countries.

Of course, the seaport in Surabaya is ready to welcome ships from Turkey. "It is more likely that trade connections between the two countries will run smoothly," Risma added.

The mayor noted that the cooperation will accelerate the distribution of goods from Turkey to Surabaya and vice versa, which is better because the distribution line does not need to stop in Singapore but directly lead to the city.

"It will cut costs and will certainly be cheaper," she asserted.

The City Administration of Surabaya and the Government of Turkey will continue to make correspondence and formulate other cooperation proposals, one of them in the field of construction.

"Construction in Turkey is extraordinary, and they are aggressively building mass rapid transportation," the mayor revealed.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Ambassador remarked that Surabaya could play an important role in the economic sector because the seaport has international standard in service and facilities.

In addition, Surabaya has cooperated its sister city with the second largest city in Turkey, Ishmir. "We can enhance cooperation in the economic field faster," he explained.

Gurbuz invited Risma to visit Turkey to explore the possibilities of deeper cooperation between Surabaya and Turkey.(*)
 
India stands third in list of trusted govts; ranks behind Indonesia

Around 73% of Indians have trust in the Government of India, making it the third in a global ranking, only behind Indonesia and Switzerland.

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While India is third in the list, the Donald Trump-led United States administration managed to get endorsement from only 30% of the country’s citizens, according to a ‘Government at Glance 2017’ report, published by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Though India remains one of the toppers, the number of people who trust the government has fallen by 9% between 2007 and 2016.

The OECD, a 35-country group, has used the Gallup World Poll for 2016 for measuring the confidence level in central governments in its report.

The governments of Indonesia and Switzerland have got around 80% of votes in their favour. The UK government had the confidence of about 40% of its citizens in 2016.

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“Trust in government remains below the pre-crisis levels. On an average in OECD countries, 42% of citizens reported having confidence in their national governments in 2016, compared to 45% before 2007,” the report said.

It also urged governments to take steps to prevent the emergence of new forms of “e-exclusion”. While a growing share of citizens use digital channels to interact with the government, it said there are persistent gaps in the level of uptake by education level, living area and age.

The report also said that on an average, the women make up only 29% of parliamentarians and 28% of ministers in OECD countries in 2017.

“Similarly, while women represent 58% of the total public sector workforce, they hold only 32% of senior positions. Equal representation of women in public life and employment at all levels expand the pool of talent available to contribute to organisational performance,” the report said.

- http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asse...t-at-a-glance-2017_gov_glance-2017-en#page217
- http://www.deccanherald.com/content/622924/india-stands-third-list-trusted.html
 
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FRIDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2017 | 11:48 WIB
Export to China Surges
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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said the national export market is changing. For the first time, BPS chief Suhariyanto said, China is now Indonesia's largest export destination countries, taking over the United States' position.

Exports to China totaled at US$1.55 billion (Rp20 trillion), about US$120 million higher compared to the export value to America. Suhariyanto said the trend change indicates uncertainties in the US market after the presidential election.

Suhariyanto said US' lagging trade needs to be responded by extending the market. BPS' data also shows that exports to India also soared to US$1.32 billion, a new record since India had never even been in the top three export partners of Indonesia.

Bogor Institute of Agriculture's economist Bayu Krisnamurthi said there are some commodities and processed goods with potentials to be improved such fisheries, oil palm, rubber, and rattan.

"APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) members will agree on 157 products to be traded," said the former Deputy Trade Minister.

The ASEAN Economic Community Center Manager of the Ministry of Commerce, Tri Mardjoko, said there is great potential in the trade of the ASEAN Economic Community. But he acknowledged that the competition is very tight, because of ASEAN countries' highly competitive industry.

"We need all the help we can get so that Indonesia will not only serve as a market,"

DESTRIANITA | ANDI IBNU
 
Indonesian minister calls on food, drink industries to increase exports

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto called on national food and beverage industries to boost exports as part of its efforts to increase performance.

"The domestic and export markets are still big. So, it is important for food and beverage industry to have adequate raw materials to galvanize investment growth," Minister Hartarto said in a written statement in Jakarta on Sunday (July 16).

Minister Hartarto also urged the food and beverage industries to create breakthroughs and product innovation to attracts both domestic and overseas consumers.

The minister made the statement when attending a post-fasting get together or Halal Bihalal with the Indonesian Food and Beverage Business Association (GAPMMI) in Jakarta.

In order to prepare reliable human resources, the Ministry of Industry has the commitment to implement its program through the formulation of the Indonesian National Work Competence Standards (SKKNI); education and training development; and industry vocational education development.

"We appreciate the food and drink businesses for their part and support to the competence-based vocational education program with a link-and-match system to industry in East and Central Java," Hartarto said.

The program will be launched again on July 27, 2017.

Hartaro said the strategic program will increase food and drink industrial growth.

After all, food and drink industry has a big contribution in the non-oil and non-gas sector to the Gross Domestic Product. This sub-sector contributed 32.79 percent to the GDP in the first semester of 2017.

The growth of food and drink industry in the first semester of 2017 was recorded at 8.15 percent.

This indicates that food and drink businesses have significant roles in driving up the national economic growth. It could be seen through the value of its exports.

Food and drink product exports, including crude palm oil, win the January-May period of 2017 reached US$13.28 billion.

In the same period, the imports of food and drink products were recorded at $3.98 billion.

The realization of investment in the food and drink sector in the second quarter of 2016 was recorded at Rp12.1 trillion for domestic investment and $476.32 million for foreign investment.
(Uu.A014/B003)


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Indonesia - Japan agree to enhance cooperation in health sector


Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Japan have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in health services and human resource development, Indonesias Health Minister Nila Moeloek said.

"We need to enhance it toward a more formal and mutual cooperation, with our close bilateral relations," Moeloek said in a statement here, Sunday (July 16).

Moeloek and Japanese Health, Manpower and Welfare affairs Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki have agreed to exchange expertise, experience and programs to improve health services.

The two ministers held bilateral meeting on the sideline of ASEAN-Japan Health Ministers Meeting on Universal Health Coverage and Population Ageing on July 14-15 in Tokyo, Japan.

Currently, Indonesia and Japan has a wide range bilateral cooperation under the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership (I-JEPA) as well as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The cooperation includes exchange of experts, research, and human resource development in health sector.

Under the I-JEPA, 593 nurses and 1,199 care givers have been trained in Japan and worked for some hospitals and nursing homes in the country.

Every year, Japan has provided training for 500 Indonesian nurses in the country.

Moeloek said, the government would need to further explore the opportunities to increase cooperation in paramedics recruitment, human resource development, health services, health information technology and disease prevention.

The cooperation, she said, is expected to open more chances for Indonesian nurses to participate in the training and to work in Japan, and to increase the number of Indonesian health expert studying in Japan.

Both ministers have expressed hope for the cooperation agreement to be signed during the next bilateral meeting.

(Reported by Aditya Ramadhan/Uu.S022/B003)
 
UAE, Indonesian companies cooperate to develop renewable energy
Red: Reiny Dwinanda
abc

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Solar energy (Illustration)

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON -- Masdar, a renewable energy development company from the UAE, and Indonesian company PT Pembangkitan Jawa-Bali (PJB) engaged in energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore cooperation for developing renewable energy projects in Indonesia.

Experts from Masdar and PT PJB will work together to identify renewable energy development opportunities to meet renewable energy usage targets of up to 23 percent by 2025 and 31 percent by 2050, according to a statement by the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi received by Antara here on Monday.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Executive Director of Masdar Bader Al Lamki and President Director of PT PJB Iwan Agung Firstantara and was witnessed by Indonesian Minister of State-owned Enterprises Rini Mariani Soemarno.

Masdar's CEO Mohamed Al Ramahi expressed hope that cooperation between the company and PT PJB to develop Indonesia's renewable energy potential would run smoothly.

"This is in line with our commitment to support the momentum of developing renewable energy globally," he noted.

Based on research conducted by the International Renewable Energy Agency, Indonesia has the potential to develop renewable energy power plants of more than 700 gigawatts (GW), of which 532.6 GW are from solar energy.

Meanwhile, Firstantara said the company has welcomed the cooperation with Masdar.

"We believe this cooperation will bring success in the development of renewable energy in Indonesia," he said.

Over the last decade, Masdar has invested US$8.5 billion in renewable energy projects, of which its contribution is $2.7 billion. The projects are spread across the Middle East and Africa, Britain, Spain, Seychelles, and the Pacific islands.

Masdar is a new renewable energy development company from Abu Dhabi that advances, develops, commercializes, and applies clean energy technologies around the world.

Masdar is a company harboring a long-term vision of energy and water development in the UAE.

PT PJB is a subsidiary of the Indonesian electricity company PT PLN, focusing on integrated power plants.

Currently, PJB manages coal-, gas-, and water-based power plants, with a total capacity of over 12 GW. PJB continues to diversify its business into clean energy to meet Indonesia's renewable energy mix target and to reduce global carbon emissions.

Sumber : Antara
 
First tunnel project of Indonesia's Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway launched
Walini, West Java | Sun, July 16, 2017 | 10:11 am

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The Walini tunnel project of the High-Speed Railway (HSR) linking Indonesian capital Jakarta to Bandung was launched here Saturday.

Indonesian State-owned Enterprises (SoE) Minister Rini Soemarno attended the ground-breaking ceremony and visited the project in Walini in Bandung Regency.

"I am optimistic about this project which would be in full swing at the end of August. It means that any obstacles we are facing now need to be cleared," Rini told Xinhua.

The minister said she will immediately coordinate with state power firm PLN and the Ministry of Public Works to overcome the obstacles.

"I am pleased with these developments so far. I have heard about results of cooperation with the Chinese firms here, such as recruitment of locals in the projects," she said.

The project was previously delayed due to official permits and land compensation issues, she said.

"But as the state enterprise minister who is a shareholder of this project, I will make it sure this project would be completed as we have planned," she said.

Praising the Indonesian minister's commitments, Zhang Wei, general manager of the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway project, said that the commencement of the tunnel project will offer a significant demonstration and give experience for other tunnel constructions in the HSR project.

"As the first formal project of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR project, the commencement of the tunnel in Walini marks an important step in the overall construction," Zhang told Xinhua.

The CREC will cooperate with other Chinese contractors so as to contribute to the accomplishment of the HSR project and the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR project contract was signed in Jakarta in early April between consortium joined by Chinese and Indonesian firms and KCIC, a China-Indonesia joint firm tasked with monitoring the project.

The 142-km-long railway project is the first of such in Indonesia as well as in the whole region of Southeast Asia.

It is expected to be built in three years and the high-speed train could reach a speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

The HSR would shorten the traveling time between the two cities from three hours to 40 minutes and spur economic activities along the line.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/16/c_136447483.htm

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Government prepares 30 thousand hectares of land for palm oil replanting
11 hours ago | 662 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government has prepared 30 thousand hectares of land for palm oil replanting pilot project to increase productivity.

"As a pilot project, we will replant palm oil on 30 thousand hectares of land," Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning, Sofjan Djalil, said here on Monday night (July 17).

He stated that the replanting project will be in an area where the cooperative sector is running strongly, considering that the cooperative is expected to become the basis of the project.

"If the first phase of the project is successful, then there will be more projects the next year," Sofjan asserted.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Darmin Nasution, explained that the oil palm replanting should be done in order to avoid increasingly complicated issues.

According to him, the palm oil rejuvenation program will be run in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Plantation Fund Management Board for Palm Oil.

In addition to palm oil, the government will also run a rubber rejuvenation program in 2018 on 15 thousand hectares of land.(*)

Palm oil companies support government move against black campaign
17 hours ago | 814 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian palm oil companies said they support government move in opposing black campaign against Indonesian palm oil commodities in the European Union.

"So far there have been no significant effects on the countrys palm oil exports but in the long run wrong perception of the European Union of Indonesian palm oil industry could be hurtful," Managing Director of Sustainability and Strategic Stakeholders Engagement Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) Agus Purnomo said here on Tuesday.

Agus said companies alone could not possibly face the campaign launched by the European Parliament. Companies through their association and the government need to seek negotiations with the European parliament.

Corporations and the government want implementation of a free and fair trade system in line with the principle of the World Trade Organization, he said.

"If a palm oil company failed to comply with the regulation, the punishment should be meted out only on the company. It is not fair if all Indonesian companies have to suffer the consequence," he said.

An Indonesian delegation to the 13th Trade Policy Review (TPR) of the the European Union in the WTO, in Geneva earlier this month, raised concern with the policy of the European Union which restricts imports of Indonesian commodities mainly palm oil products.

Indonesian Representative in Geneva said the Indonesian delegation sought to draw the attention of the European Union to growing restriction on imports of Indonesian commodities particularly palm oil.

The Indonesian delegation also expressed concern about the Resolution on Palm Oil and Deforestation of Rain forest approved by the European Parliament in April 2017, discriminating against Indonesian palm oil and other vegetable oil products.

The delegation said the resolution is unfounded and the European Union needs to recognize serious efforts of the Indonesian government in the management and promotion of sustainable palm oil production.

In answer to the Indonesian complaint , the European Union delegation said the resolution of the EU Parliament is not binding for the European Commission Executive, and in general did not require the European Commission to follow up with the formulation of a binding law.

The Indonesia delegation, however, said the resolution would strengthen negative campaigns against Indonesian palm oil products in the European market. (*)
 
Switzerland provides a grant of US$75 million for Indonesia
7 hours ago | 758 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Swiss Government has provided a grant of US$75 million for Indonesia to support the countrys economic development.

The Swiss Government wants to continue and maintain technical support for Indonesia, Swiss Economic, Education and Research Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann said after a meeting with President Joko Widodo here on Tuesday.

Johamm Scheneider-Ammann, who is also a member of the Swiss Federal Council was on a two day visit to Jakarta to resume negotiation on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Indonesia and European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA), and to strengthen cooperation in expanding vocational training and educational system in Indonesia.

Switzerland supports 40 projects in Indonesia to help maintain economic stability, increase access to financial service, promote trading and back up infrastructure development.

Meanwhile Minister for National Development Planning and head of the National Planning Board (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro said the Indonesian Government highly appreciates support from the Swiss Government for Indonesia.

Bambang Brodjonegoro hopes that the cooperation between the two countries would help create new jobs, equitable economy and reduce poverty and improve access to financial service in the country.

During his stay in the country the Swiss Minister commissioned the Swiss Business Hub (SBH) at the Swiss embassy in Jakarta. SBH provides recommendations and support for export oriented Swiss companies seeking access to Indonesian market. (*)
 
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