Indonesia Economy Forum

[Indos]

Alhamdulillah.....

Provinces with PSBB see decline in COVID-19 cases, in-patients, say regional leaders

Rizki Fachriansyah

The Jakarta Post

Jakarta / Wed, May 13, 2020 / 10:10 am

An ride-hailing motorcycle taxi driver awaits orders in the Sudirman business district in Jakarta on April 26. The capital has imposed large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) since April 10 to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)

Nearly every region that has imposed large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) has recorded a significant decrease in coronavirus cases, the national COVID-19 task force says, signaling an optimistic outcome from the implementation of the health protocols to fight the pandemic.

A number of governors convened via video conference on Tuesday morning to report up-to-date results from the PSBB in their respective provinces. Several designated referral centers across the provinces had recorded fewer COVID-19 in-patients after they put in place the mobility restrictions, said COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo.

“One of the referral centers in West Sumatra, M Jamil Hospital in Padang, reported 46 COVID-19 in-patients of a total capacity of 112 beds,” he said.

“Meanwhile, Hasan Sadikin Hospital in [Bandung], West Java, recorded 30 COVID-19 patients of its total capacity of 135 beds.”

Read also: 'Reinfected' North Sumatra COVID-19 patient 'feels fine, but stressed'

The Jakarta administration had also previously reported that the number of in-patients had dropped to fewer than 60 percent of the confirmed cases in the region -- the hardest hit by the coronavirus in the country -- after imposing the PSBB, Doni said.

The provincial administration of Central Java, which has only imposed partial mobility restrictions, reported that it would continue carrying out contact-tracing on a cluster of attendees of a mass Islamic event in Gowa, South Sulawesi, which has yielded 1,118 cases so far.

West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno, meanwhile, said the province had not recorded an influx of imported COVID-19 cases – transmission via visitors from other regions – since the administration imposed the PSBB on April 22.

“The number of patients under treatment [PDPs] has decreased from 12 percent to 4 percent [of the total cases] since the PSBB,” he said during the meeting, adding that the administration had not recorded any new clusters from the region’s 299 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the restrictions first took effect.

At least 20 regencies, municipalities and provinces across the country have imposed the PSBB since its inception in Jakarta on April 10. Initially imposed for two weeks, the mobility restrictions have been extended for another 14 days in many of the regions, with Jakarta extending the PSBB for 28 days until May 22.

Read also: Jakarta's curve flattened? Experts question government's claim

Most experts agree that mobility restrictions have helped curb infections but they also warn the government not to jump the gun by deciding to relax curbs without taking into account further epidemiological studies to assess the scale of the pandemic.

As of Tuesday, Indonesia had confirmed 14,749 COVID-19 cases and 1,007 deaths linked to the disease, according to the central government's data.

Doni went on to say that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had previously said that the central government would give regional administrations the freedom to choose the types of mitigation measures they considered to be most compatible with their respective needs and the characteristics of their populations.

“Regional administrations are allowed to adopt an approach [that is relevant] to their respective situations, such as using local wisdom to ensure public compliance with the health protocols,” he said.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news...9-cases-in-patients-say-regional-leaders.html

Another grammatically wrong title, it should be provinces with PSBB see declining in Covid 19 case.

 

[Indos]

Jakarta relax lock down measure by allowing domestic traveler and it causes influx of passenger in Jakarta main Airport (Soekarno Hatta). There are some requirement that needs to be fulfilled by passenger like rapid test and companies letter.

This news is posted 3 hours ago

 

[Indos]

Unpad, ITB develop new COVID-19 rapid testing kits using antigens

• Arya Dipa
  The Jakarta Post

Bandung / Sat, May 16, 2020 / 10:26 am

Padjajaran University (Unpad) and the Bandung Institute of Technology in West Java are jointly developing a new rapid COVID-19 test using antigens as an alternative to detect the virus amid a shortage of the reagents necessary to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

West Java governor Ridwan Kamil said the new equipment was developed with a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor which could detect the virus’ RNA quickly and accurately on the spot.

"[The SPR testing] only requires a laptop and a little box containing the samples to detect the virus," Ridwan said in a statement after a visit to the Unpad Research Center for Molecular Biotechnology and Bioinformatics on Thursday.

PCR tests, currently considered the most precise method to detect the virus in patients, are time-consuming. They require lengthy laboratory tests.

They also require reagents to isolate the indicators for the coronavirus RNA from the human DNA in swab samples. A global shortage of the chemicals has made it difficult for the country to conduct large-scale PCR testing.

Read also: UI, private partners join hands to produce local-made flocked swabs for COVID-19 testing

Ridwan called the innovation "Rapid Test 2.0" as the test results would appear within 15 minutes. It differed from the existing rapid test for its accuracy in detecting the particular virus that causes COVID-19: SARS-CoV-2.

The West Java administration hopes to test at least 300,000 people, or 0.6 percent of the approximately 50 million residents of the province, to map out the spread of COVID-19 in the region and to subsequently contain the spread of the disease.

"God willing, we will achieve the target with the presence of the local test kits,” he said.

So far, the province has conducted 114,282 tests – 105,992 of which were rapid tests and 8,290 were PCR tests.

Muhammad Yusuf, a COVID-19 vaccine and diagnostic research coordinator at the Unpad Biotechnology, Molecular and Bioinformatics Research Center, said the test kits used antigens to scan for proteins inside viruses in the test samples.

Read also: From test kits to robots, Indonesia develops locally made devices to aid COVID-19 battle

The researchers injected the novel coronavirus' proteins into chickens and used their antibodies – the Y-shaped proteins produced by the immune system in response to antigen exposure – as a component in the testing. Unpad researchers collaborated with their ITB counterparts to test the molecules on the surface of SARS-CoV-2.

"The result is very specific and sensitive. In dense concentrations, we can detect [the virus’] presence," Yusuf said, adding that they would start testing COVID-19 samples using the new kits within a month.

They planned to produce about 5,000 test kits in the initial stage, between May and June, and would eventually produce up to 50,000 per month. "We'll partner with privately owned PT Pakar Biomedika Indonesia to produce and distribute the kits," Yusuf added. (vny)

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news...vid-19-rapid-testing-kits-using-antigens.html

 

[Indos]

Palm Oil: Local Consumption Down, Export Picks Up During Pandemic
BY :NUR YASMIN

MAY 13, 2020

Jakarta. The Indonesian Palm Oil Association, or Gapki, has reported higher export of palm oil but lower domestic consumption of the commodity during the coronavirus pandemic.

Domestic consumption in March decreased by 3.2 percent – from 786,000 tons in February to 721,000 tons in March.

During the same period, local food consumption also fell by 8.3 percent, while sales of palm oil for oleochemical products rose by 14.5 percent.

"Palm oil consumption fell as food consumption fell. People are uncertain when the pandemic will be over. Meanwhile, hand sanitizer producers need more palm oil to ramp up production," Gapki director Mukti Sardjono said in a press release on Wednesday.

He said out of 68,000 tons of palm oil sold to the oleochemical industry, 55 percent was for hand sanitizers.

Palm oil export rose by 3.3 percent or 185,000 tons from 2.53 million tons in February to 2.72 million tons in March.

Meanwhile, CPO export rose by 113,000 tons from 524,000 tons in February.

Bangladesh, South Africa and the third-largest global palm oil consumer, China, were responsible for the highest export surges in the period.

"The export surge to China started happening once they managed to get a handle on Covid-19," Mukti said.

Meanwhile, exports to Pakistan and the United States – the current global pandemic epicenter – had gone down.

Exports to Europe, the Middle East and India were normal.

However, India had recently adopted import restrictions on refined palm oil products, which might put pressure on the industry later down the line.

The price of crude palm oil (CPO) also dropped from $722 per ton in February to $636 per ton in March, mainly thanks to lower food consumption as restaurants close up shops during the pandemic.

Malaysian palm oil producers told Reuters on Tuesday the outlook for the industry this year is grim as a full recovery is not expected to happen until the last quarter next year.

They said countries shifting to biodiesel might help to slow stock build-up.

Indonesia began mandatory use of B30 – diesel fuel made up of 30 percent biofuel from palm oil – last month and is already preparing to use the upgraded version, B40, starting in July 2021.

Mukti said palm oil production is still running normally despite the pandemic, but physical distancing is in place at factories.

"We have to improve productivity and efficiency to keep the industry viable," he said.

Dry season in most parts of Indonesia will start in May and peak in August, and drought is expected in several places.

"People say it's not going to be as bad as last year's drought, but forest fires could still happen. Gapki has issued a forest fire prevention protocol to protect the plantations," Mukti said.

https://jakartaglobe.id/business/palm-oil-local-consumption-down-export-picks-up-during-pandemic

 

[Indos]

US company to develop $2 billion coal gasification project in East Kalimantan

• Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman
  The Jakarta Post
  

Jakarta / Fri, May 15, 2020 / 05:01 pm

Excavators operate at a coal mine owned by PT Berau Coal in Binungan, East Kalimantan. (JP/Indra Harsaputra )

United States chemical company Air Products & Chemicals will team up with two local companies, Bakrie Capital Indonesia and Ithaca Resources, to build a coal-to-methanol production facility in Bengalon, East Kalimantan.

Bakrie Capital Indonesia, part of the Bakrie Group, and Ithaca Resources, part of AP Investment, will supply the coal feedstock and have committed to supply the methanol for sale in Indonesia under a long-term contract, the US company announced on Thursday.

Air Products said it would invest about US$2 billion to build, maintain and operate facilities for air separation, gasification, syngas clean-up, utilities and methanol production for Bakrie and Ithaca.

This facility will enable nearly two million tons per year (TPY) of methanol to be produced from nearly six million tons of coal. The project is expected to begin in 2024.

Jodi Mahardi, a spokesman for the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister, said the coal gasification project, the second in Indonesia, could reduce the country’s reliance on methanol imports. Gasification converts coal into methanol, the key component in the production of the government’s flagship B30 biodiesel, which uses 30 percent palm oil.

“Technological progress keeps going, and the government is committed to increasing added value,” Jodi said on Thursday. “We also hope it will increase employment opportunities as [the project] needs local workers in its development and operation.”

Indonesia, which is in the top five global coal producers, recently passed a law to revise the 2009 Coal and Mineral Mining Law to promote the development of the downstream mining industry, which includes gasification projects, by easing permits, among other measures. The government hopes to collect $7.8 billion from investment in the mining sector this year.

In a joint statement released on Thursday, Bakrie Capital Indonesia CEO Adika Nuraga Bakrie and Ithaca Resources president director Agoes Projosasmito said “there is strong momentum for this project, which will produce high-value methanol from abundant, low-value coal reserves.”

Last year, coal production reached 610 million tons, exceeding the government target by 124.7 percent. The government, therefore, raised has raised this year’s production target to 550 million tons.

“This is another example of our long-term strategy to deploy capital into high-return strategic industrial gas projects,” Air Products & Chemicals chief executive officer Seifi Ghasemi said in a statement on Thursday.

Previously, state-owned oil firm PT Pertamina and state-owned coal miner PT Bukit Asam agreed to work on a similar coal gasification project. The project produces dimethyl ether (DME), a raw material for the production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), according to Bukit Asam president director Ariviyan Arifin.

The government is hoping to reduce the country’s gas imports through the project. Because of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia’s overall oil and gas imports have actually declined by 61.78 percent year on year to $850 million last month.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news...-gasification-project-in-east-kalimantan.html

 

[Indos]

Banking system seems to perform better amid this Covid 19 outbreak

BTPN records double-digit growth in profits, loans

• Riska Rahman
  The Jakarta Post
  

Jakarta / Tue, May 19, 2020 / 04:07 pm

Publicly listed lender bank BTPN recorded double-digit growth in net profits and loans in the first quarter of this year, as it weathered the COVID-19 crisis.

The bank booked Rp 752 billion (US$50.7 million) in net profits in the first three months of this year, up by 48 percent compared with the same period last year, BTPN announced in a statement on Tuesday.

In line with the growth in profits, the bank also recorded a 12 percent year-on-year (yoy) growth in loan disbursement in January to March to Rp 157 trillion, supported by loans to the corporate segment of Rp 92 trillion.

“With the uncertainties of the global economic situation, added to by the current development of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are trying to maintain the positive performance of the bank,” BTPN president director Ongki Wanadjati Dana said in the statement.

In the corporate loan segment, BTPN focused on syndicated loans for various projects such as energy security, food security and infrastructure. The bank also disbursed loans bilaterally to private and state-owned entities, as well as automotive and trading firms.

To support the high loan growth, BTPN also managed to raise Rp 161.2 trillion in funding as of March, higher by 3 percent yoy.

The funding was sourced from third-party funds of Rp 97.1 trillion, while other party loans and subordinated loans contributed Rp 57 trillion and Rp 7.1 trillion, respectively.

Meanwhile, BTPN also managed to maintain its gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio at 0.97 percent as of March, well below the banking industry figure of 2.77 percent, as it stressed that it remained cautious in disbursing its loans.

Ongki went on to say that the bank still had ample liquidity to get through the current challenging economic conditions as its liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), which indicates the bank’s short-term liquidity ratio, stood at 212 percent.

Meanwhile, its net stable funding ratio (NSFR), which indicates its long-term liquidity, stood at 116 percent, above the minimum requirement of 100 percent.

The bank's capital adequacy ratio (CAR), meanwhile, stood at 22.5 percent. This signaled that the bank still had strong expansion capability, it said in the statement.

“The COVID-19 situation is very challenging, including for us in the banking industry. But we are grateful for the performance at the beginning of this year,” Ongki said.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news...rds-double-digit-growth-in-profits-loans.html

 

[Nike]

Indonesia expanding corn acreage

Photo: Adobe stock
04.01.2019
By Arvin Donley
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Corn production in Indonesia in 2019-20 is forecast to reach 13.3 million tonnes, up from 12.6 million the previous year, as government incentives to expand production continue to yield results, according to a March 29 Global Agricultural Information Network report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA noted that the government has established a minimum selling price and provided subsidized seed and fertilizer to increase harvested area.

“The 2017-18 harvested area is revised to 3.65 million to reflect increase in non-traditional producing areas such as North Sulawesi,” the USDA said. “Harvested area is forecast to reach 3.7 million hectares in 2018-19 and further expand to 3.9 million hectares in 2019-20 as farmers consider corn more profitable relative to other crops.”

Despite higher corn production, local demand from the feed sector will continue to outpace supply, the USDA said.

It noted that corn import restrictions remain in place for feed use although, due to high prices in late 2018, Indonesia temporarily allowed imports of corn for feed.

Corn imports for 2018-19 are expected to reach 850,000 tonnes, up from 550,000 tonnes the previous year.

https://www.world-grain.com/articles/11863-indonesia-expanding-corn-acreage

Ukraine wheat production to fall after record crop

Photo: Adobe stock
04.28.2020
By Susan Reidy
WASHINGTON, DC, US — Following a record-breaking wheat harvest in 2019-20, Ukraine’s production is forecast to be 5% lower in the new market year, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Wheat production is estimated at 27.6 million tonnes for 2020-21, down from 29.1 million tonnes in the previous year. The forecast is based on available 2019 winter crop planting data and the assumption that spring planting will be at the same level as in 2019. Yields are also forecast at a similar level, the USDA said.

Wheat exports in 2019-20 are estimated to increase 22% from last year to 19.6 million tonnes. For 2020-21, exports are estimated to drop to 18.1 million tonnes.

Major destinations for Ukrainian wheat exports included: Indonesia (2.6 million tonnes), Egypt (around 2 million tonnes), Philippines (around 1.6 million tonnes) and Bangladesh (around 1.3 million tonnes).

Corn production is expected to drop 2% from 35.8 million tonnes in 2019-20 to 35.2 million tonnes in the upcoming market year, the USDA said.

“Corn remains a popular crop for Ukrainian farmers as it fits well into existing crop rotations while offering higher yields compared to other grain crops,” the USDA said.

Ukrainian corn exports for 2020-21 are forecast at 28 million tonnes, which is 2% lower than the 2019-20 estimate, which totaled 28.6 million tonnes.

The major destinations were the EU at 16 million tonnes; China at 3.8 million tonnes; Egypt at 3 million tonnes; and Turkey at 2.4 million tonnes.

https://www.world-grain.com/articles/13612-ukraine-wheat-production-to-fall-after-record-crop

Indonesians unhappy with noodle quality

Photo: Adobe stock
10.03.2019
By Arvin Donley
PERTH, AUSTRALIA — Unable to import its normal amount of wheat from drought-plagued Australia, Indonesian flour millers have turned to the Black Sea region as an alternative source, according to the Indonesian Flour Millers Association (IFMA).

During a grain industry conference on Oct. 2, the IFMA said bleaching agents and other chemicals are being added to Indonesian noodles to make them look like they are made from Australian wheat. Noodle makers have faced a backlash from consumers unhappy with their product, according to a report in the Financial Review. Consumers have complained about the dull and darker color of the noodles made without Australian wheat, which typically produces a natural bright yellow color.

Australian wheat exports to Indonesia this year are 75% below the five-year average, according to the IFMA, while imports from the Black Sea region jumped by 150% to 1.73 million tonnes during the six-month period ended June 30.

Erwin Sudharma, deputy director of Bogasari Flour Mills and IFMA representative, told the Financial Review the plunge in imports was due to a prolonged drought in Australia that has limited supply and increased prices. He said the supply shortages are projected to continue into next year with Australia forecast to produce 17 million tonnes. Typically, the country harvests around 25 million tonnes per year.

Indonesia is highly dependent on wheat imports to help feed its large population. According to the International Grains Council (IGC), the Southeast Asian country’s wheat production for 2019-20 is forecast at 13.3 million tonnes, while imports are projected at 11.7 million tonnes.

In an annual report on the sector, the USDA attaché in Indonesia stressed the country’s total reliance on imports of wheat for food and feed.

“Currently, 28 flour mills operate under 23 companies, with a total installed capacity of 11.8 million tonnes (wheat equivalent) per annum, an increase from 11.5 million tonnes in 2017-18,” the report said. “Running capacity of the mills reached 80% in 2017-18, an increase from 70% in 2016-17.”

Indonesia’s imports of wheat for food are inflated by a ban on imports of corn for food. The country has some of the highest corn prices in the world, so feed mills are forced to source other commodities for feed ingredients.

Expansion in the flour milling sector, leading to strong competition also has meant a rise in imports of wheat from the Black Sea. According to the attaché, Australia, with 31%, and Ukraine, with 21%, dominate the market. Canada has a market share of 16% and Russia has 14%.

“The growth of Ukrainian wheat imports, along with the sharp increase in Russian imports, has pushed U.S. wheat to fifth largest supplier, although overall market share has remained near 10%,” the attaché said. “Australia’s market share is due to the growing noodle industry’s preference for Australian standard white wheat, competitive pricing, and Australia’s close proximity.”

https://www.world-grain.com/articles/12691-indonesians-unhappy-with-noodle-quality

Selamat Datang Gandum Tropis
Filed in Sayuran by Administrator on 31/12/2010 • 0 Comments



Bak pucuk dicinta ulam pun tiba. Kehadiran galur mutan harapan gandum Tricitum aestivum dataran rendah itu menjadi buah manis penantian panjang Prof Dr Ir Soeranto Human MSc, periset di Pusat Aplikasi Teknologi Isotop dan Radiasi Badan Tenaga Nuklir Nasional (PATIR-BATAN), Jakarta. Mafhum penelitian Soeranto kerap kali tersandung akibat keterbatasan sarana. Kini, beragam aral yang merintangi langkah Soeranto mulai tersibak dan hadir beberapa galur mutan gandum tropis. Soeranto meriset pengembangan gandum tropis untuk dataran rendah sejak 1992.

Menurut Soeranto, gandum yang tergolong tanaman subtropis beriklim sedang, dapat tumbuh subur di Indonesia terutama di dataran tinggi bersuhu sejuk. Anggota famili Poaceae itu butuh proses vernalisasi yaitu paparan suhu rendah untuk merangsang gandum agar berbunga dan menghasilkan biji. Daerah yang memenuhi kriteria tersebut biasanya berada di dataran tinggi di atas 800 m dpl. Namun, menurut Soeranto, pengembangan gandum di daerah dingin itu terkendala persaingan lahan dengan tanaman hortikultura seperti sayuran dan buah-buahan. Untuk menyiasatinya, PATIR BATAN kini tengah mengembangkan gandum yang adaptif di dataran rendah.

Radiasi

Menurut Dr Zainal Abidin Dipl Geo, kepala PATIR-BATAN, penelitian pemuliaan gandum melalui jalan mutasi induksi dilakukan sejak 1983. Saat itu pakar genetik gandum dari Badan Tenaga Atom Internasional (IAEA), Dr Knut Mikaelsen, memperkenalkan benih 2 varietas gandum asal International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Meksiko, yaitu sonalika dan SA-75. Penelitian awal dilakukan untuk mengetahui dosis optimal radiasi sinar gamma untuk pemuliaan gandum.

Atas dasar itu Soeranto mulai berusaha mengusik ‘sifat manja’ gandum yaitu vernalisasi. Tujuannya, menghasilkan varietas gandum yang bisa ditanam di mana saja, tidak hanya di dataran tinggi. ‘Targetnya muncul varietas gandum yang tidak memerlukan suhu dingin untuk berbunga dan menghasilkan biji,’ ungkap doktor pemuliaan tanaman dari Agricultural University of Norway, Norwegia, itu. Caranya, sebanyak 1/2 kg biji gandum sonalika dan 1/2 kg SA-75 ‘ditembak’ menggunakan sinar gamma dengan dosis optimal 200 – 300 Gy (Gray).

Menurut Dr Ir Mochammad Ismachin dari Forum Peduli Aplikasi Iptek, struktur DNA benih gandum yang diradiasi sinar gamma itu bisa berubah atau bermutasi. ‘Diharapkan diperoleh benih-benih yang secara genetik lebih unggul dibanding induknya,’ ungkap Ismachin. Hasilnya ‘lahir’ 2 galur harapan CPN-1 (kode son10-1) dan CPN-2 (SA10-22). Benih galur-galur mutan itu selanjutnya ditanam di kebun percobaan Cipanas, Bogor, Jawa Barat, berketinggian 800 m dpl pada 1992 – 1994.

Selain gandum dari Meksiko, turut pula diradiasi gandum dari India: DWR-162 dan DWR-195. Setelah diradiasi, benih-benih itu ditanam di kebun percobaan di Cibadak, Bogor, Jawa Barat, hingga menghasilkan generasi m-4 alias mutan-4. Melalui proses seleksi ketat akhirnya diperoleh 7 mutan unggulan berkode CBD-16, CBD-17, CBD-18, CBD-19, CBD-20, CBD-21, dan CBD-23. Sayang penelitian gandum terhenti pada 1995 karena beberapa hal nonteknis. Namun, plasma nutfah tetap disimpan dalam lemari pendingin bersuhu -210C agar tahan lama dan siap dimanfaatkan kembali sewaktu-waktu.

Tropis

Pada 2001 Soeranto melakukan kerja sama penanaman gandum dengan sebuah perusahaan swasta. Galur mutan CPN-1 dan CPN-2 ditanam di beberapa daerah dataran tinggi di Indonesia dengan varietas pembanding dewata dan nias. Produktivitasnya tidak mengecewakan, mampu mencapai 4 – 5 ton per ha. Bahkan di dataran tinggi Sulawesi Selatan, bekerja sama dengan Balai Penelitian Tanaman Serealia (Balitsereal), Maros, Sulawesi Selatan, hasilnya menyentuh angka 6 ton per ha. Varietas pembanding berkisar 2 – 3 ton per ha.

Produktivitas galur itu lebih tinggi 30% dibanding indukan asalnya yaitu SA-75. Toh, Soeranto tidak puas. ‘Kami ingin menghasilkan gandum tropis yang bisa ditanam di dataran sedang dan rendah,’ tutur Soeranto. Suatu daerah dikategorikan dataran tinggi jika berketinggian di atas 700 m dpl; sedang 400 – 700 m dpl; rendah di bawah 400 m dpl.

Walhasil pada 2009 – 2010 dilakukan uji multilokasi di 10 lokasi berbeda. Termasuk di dataran rendah yaitu di Tajur, Bogor, Jawa Barat, yang berketinggian 300 m dpl dan Maros, Sulawesi Selatan (200 – 300 m dpl). Hasilnya sungguh menggembirakan. Galur mutan harapan CBD-17 mampu

berproduksi hingga 2 ton/ha. Varietas pembanding bisa tumbuh, tapi tidak menghasilkan biji. ‘Padahal, ujicoba masih menggunakan benih yang disimpan selama 5 tahun, idealnya hanya 1 tahun,’ tutur Suranto. Benih hasil galur mutan harapan itu kini ditanam ulang. Kerja sama penanaman antara BATAN dengan Konsorsium Gandum Nasional itu diharapkan bisa melepas varietas-varietas unggul gandum tropis.

Selain galur mutan harapan di atas, Suranto pun kini tengah meradiasi benih gandum dari China (F-44, Yuan-039, Yuan-1045) dan Pakistan (Pavon-76, Soghat-90, dan Kiran-95). Tujuannya, untuk menghasilkan gandum tropis yang adaptif di dataran rendah dan berproduksi menjulang menyamai produktivitas gandum dataran tinggi. Jadi, selamat datang gandum tropis di ibu pertiwi. (Faiz Yajri)

 

[Indos]

Pertamina, South Korean consortium to develop Dumai refinery

• Mardika Parama
  The Jakarta Post
  

Jakarta / Fri, May 22, 2020 / 04:25 pm

The Dumai refinery in Riau (RU II). (Courtesy of/www.pertamina.com)

State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has agreed to join forces with state construction firm PT Nindya Karya and a South Korean consortium to explore business opportunities for a US$1.5 billion refinery development project in Dumai, Riau.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by representatives of the three parties on Wednesday marked progress in Pertamina’s plan to develop its major refineries as Indonesia works toward reducing oil imports and increasing domestic oil production.

“This $1.5 billion project would increase the domestic oil and fuel production capacity, which would consequently reduce our dependence on oil imports and trade deficits in the future,” Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Bahlil Lahadalia said during the signing ceremony.

The MoU, which commissions a joint study on the Dumai refinery upgrade project, was signed by Pertamina megaprojects director Ignatius Tallulembang, Nindya Karya president director Haedar Karim and a representative of the South Korean consortium, DH Global Holdings Co. Ltd. chairman Jung Sam Seung.

The refinery upgrade is part of Pertamina’s Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) and Grass Root Refinery program.

The RDMP lays out a road map for upgrading four refineries: one in Dumai, Riau, one in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, one in Cilacap, Central Java, and one in Balongan, West Java. The Grass Root Refinery program details the company’s plans to construct two new production facilities in Tuban, East Java, and Bontang, East Kalimantan.

The upgraded refineries' total installed capacity will increase 38.2 percent to 1.21 billion barrels per day (bpd), while the new refineries will have a combined capacity of 600,000 bpd.

“We would like to express our gratitude to all parties who agreed to actualize the initiative. I hope the investment will have additional strategic value, as the oil price is currently under pressure,” Bahlil said.

Pertamina, through Ignatius, stated that the Dumai refinery upgrade project was prioritized.

“With this agreement, Nindya Karya and the South Korean consortium have become Pertamina’s strategic partners in conducting the study on the Dumai refinery upgrade. Our company hopes an important milestone can be achieved in December,” Ignatius said.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news...ean-consortium-to-develop-dumai-refinery.html

 

[Logam42]

Pertamina, South Korean consortium to develop Dumai refinery

• Mardika Parama
  The Jakarta Post

Jakarta / Fri, May 22, 2020 / 04:25 pm

The Dumai refinery in Riau (RU II). (Courtesy of/www.pertamina.com)

State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has agreed to join forces with state construction firm PT Nindya Karya and a South Korean consortium to explore business opportunities for a US$1.5 billion refinery development project in Dumai, Riau.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by representatives of the three parties on Wednesday marked progress in Pertamina’s plan to develop its major refineries as Indonesia works toward reducing oil imports and increasing domestic oil production.

“This $1.5 billion project would increase the domestic oil and fuel production capacity, which would consequently reduce our dependence on oil imports and trade deficits in the future,” Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Bahlil Lahadalia said during the signing ceremony.

The MoU, which commissions a joint study on the Dumai refinery upgrade project, was signed by Pertamina megaprojects director Ignatius Tallulembang, Nindya Karya president director Haedar Karim and a representative of the South Korean consortium, DH Global Holdings Co. Ltd. chairman Jung Sam Seung.

The refinery upgrade is part of Pertamina’s Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) and Grass Root Refinery program.

The RDMP lays out a road map for upgrading four refineries: one in Dumai, Riau, one in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, one in Cilacap, Central Java, and one in Balongan, West Java. The Grass Root Refinery program details the company’s plans to construct two new production facilities in Tuban, East Java, and Bontang, East Kalimantan.

The upgraded refineries' total installed capacity will increase 38.2 percent to 1.21 billion barrels per day (bpd), while the new refineries will have a combined capacity of 600,000 bpd.

“We would like to express our gratitude to all parties who agreed to actualize the initiative. I hope the investment will have additional strategic value, as the oil price is currently under pressure,” Bahlil said.

Pertamina, through Ignatius, stated that the Dumai refinery upgrade project was prioritized.

“With this agreement, Nindya Karya and the South Korean consortium have become Pertamina’s strategic partners in conducting the study on the Dumai refinery upgrade. Our company hopes an important milestone can be achieved in December,” Ignatius said.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news...ean-consortium-to-develop-dumai-refinery.html

Truly, it is in South Korea we trust. We should have never wasted time trying to get Saudi Arabian investment. They see our interpretation of Islam as a threat any any investment we ever get out of them apart from brainwashing education investments are going to be halfhearted at best.

 

[Nike]

Steel industry sees severe drop in demand amid pandemic

• Yunindita Prasidya
  The Jakarta Post
  

Jakarta / Fri, May 22, 2020 / 03:08 pm
A machine operates at a steel factory of JFE Steel Galvanizing Indonesia in Cikarang in Bekasi, West Java. (Antara Photo/Risky Andrianto)
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Steelmakers are facing severe blows to their business with demand during the COVID-19 pandemic having decreased by 90 percent from normal times.

The low demand is partially due to the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) imposed by the government to contain the virus, which has led to the closure of businesses, including major steel-consuming businesses in the automotive and construction industries.

Steelmaker PT Steel Pipe Industry of Indonesia (Spindo), for example, saw demand for steel pipe products drop 30 percent in April and almost 50 percent in May.


“[The drop] is very pronounced at the retail front. There’s a decrease in people’s purchasing power and businesses are holding off purchasing plans,” the company’s vice president director, Tedja Sukmana Hudianto, said at a steel industry roundtable event on Wednesday.

Fellow steelmaker PT Sampurna Jaya Baja reported a grimmer condition, as its sales nosedived 90 percent in May, a steeper plunge compared to losses of 50 to 60 percent in March and April.

“The company’s cash flow is disrupted because the majority of our clients are closed for business. This renders things difficult because if this carries on, it could threaten the continuity of the company,” PT Sampurna Jaya Baja representative Raharjo Rudy Cahyono said.

State-owned company PT Krakatau Steel president director Silmy Karim, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Iron and Steel Industry Association (IISIA), confirmed that the pandemic had crippled the nationwide demand for steel products by 50 percent.

However, he was optimistic that conditions would improve in time.

A Moody’s Investors Service report published on April 7 states that the coronavirus outbreak “exacerbates the already challenging operating environment for steelmakers around the world”.

The broad macroeconomic weakness spreading in the wake of the pandemic is driving down demand for steel in core industries like manufacturing, automotive, construction, and oil and gas exploration, the report reads.

The steel industry is one of the country’s strategic upstream industries, as it provides raw materials for infrastructure, manufacturing, transportation and defense, among other sectors.

South East Asia Iron and Steel Institute (SEAISI) data show that steel consumption in Indonesia rose 11 percent to 15.1 million tons in 2018. However, the demand is largely served by imports from China and other countries.

This year, imports of iron and steel, accounting for 6.26 percent of Indonesia’s total non-oil and gas imports, dropped 23 percent year-on-year from January to March at US$2.12 billion, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).

With the current downturn, local steelmakers expressed worries over the inconsistent implementation of Indonesia’s trade barrier policy, fearing that foreign products would continue dominating the local scene.

China, for example, has continued to produce steel despite slow demand, swelling inventories and falling prices.

In response to these concerns, Dini Hanggandari, the Industry Ministry’s metal industry director, said during the roundtable discussion that, “in order to control imports, we have used every official tool within the World Trade Organization’s corridors”.

Indonesia had made it mandatory for imported steel products, such as zinc-coated steel, to comply with the national industrial standards (SNI), a policy permitted by the WTO.

Dini said the ministry had also been pushing for trade remedies to be implemented for upstream and downstream steel products.

State-Owned Enterprises Deputy Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin urged local players in the steel industry to up their efficiency and productivity to better compete with global players.

“On one hand the COVID-19 pandemic is causing dangers, but on the other hand, there are opportunities,” he said.

He urged steelmakers to tap into unexplored opportunities, such as supplying the demand to produce hypodermic needles for the healthcare sector.

If you want to help in the fight against COVID-19, we have compiled an up-to-date list of community initiatives designed to aid medical workers and low-income people in this article. Link: [UPDATED] Anti-COVID-19 initiatives: Helping Indonesia fight the outbreak

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news...sees-severe-drop-in-demand-amid-pandemic.html

Truly, it is in South Korea we trust. We should have never wasted time trying to get Saudi Arabian investment. They see our interpretation of Islam as a threat any any investment we ever get out of them apart from brainwashing education investments are going to be halfhearted at best.

they should not bothered with the Saudi Arabia, as they only investing their money in mature entities and one with high value brands. They are not bothered with frontier market in developing countries.

As much as i hate the PRC, you should acknowledge them for their knacks to explore frontier markets, the same with South Korean and Japan.

 

[Kansel]

• BUSINESS

Coca Cola considers building Indonesian recycling plant, slashing 25,000 tons of plastic

Norman Harsono
The Jakarta Post

Jakarta

Jakarta / Sat, May 23, 2020 / 03:41 pm

Two workers keep an eye on bottled coke at Coca Cola Amatil Indonesia's Cikedokan plant in Bekasi, West Java, on March 31.(The Jakarta Post/-)

Soft drinks manufacturer Coca Cola Amatil Indonesia (Amatil) is looking into developing a plastic bottle recycling facility in one of the world’s top plastic polluting countries.

The company said on Friday it had signed a deal with plastic packaging maker Dynapack Asia to conduct a feasibility study on developing the facility. The soft drinks maker also said it aimed to cut consumption of new plastic resin by up to 25,000 tons a year by 2022 by using recycled plastic.

The statement did not mention Amatil’s total annual new plastic resin consumption. However, a 2019 report shows that the Coca-Cola Company produced 3 million tons of plastic packaging in 2017, the highest among 31 companies listed in the report.

Read also: Ineffective recycling compounds Indonesia's marine waste problem

“It is a significant step toward Amatil becoming self-sustaining in the plastic materials we use, ensuring a closed-loop for plastic beverage packaging in Indonesia as a whole,” said Amatil president director Kadir Gunduz in a statement.

Dynapack Asia president director Tirtadjaja Hambali said the packaging manufacturer was committed to using at least 25 percent recycled plastic in its production starting 2025, as part of its commitment to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

Indonesia aims to slash plastic waste output by 70 percent by 2025, as per the country’s contribution to the global National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP). The Southeast country is the world’s second-largest marine plastic debris polluter behind China, a 2015 study reported

https://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/...ons-of-plastic.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Indos]

Truly, it is in South Korea we trust. We should have never wasted time trying to get Saudi Arabian investment. They see our interpretation of Islam as a threat any any investment we ever get out of them apart from brainwashing education investments are going to be halfhearted at best.

South Korea is a truly Indonesian friend but some how Indonesia under Jokowi undermine the relationship by not paying the investment cost for KFX program and even try to renegotiate it.

The reason Saudi investment in new refinery project is failed is because people in Finance Ministry reject their proposal that include tax incentive. Actually, It is reasonable to give them tax incentive since refinery project is capital extensive while the profit margin is not much. I think the rejection is due to "Mafia Migas" who doesnt like Indonesia to build refinery since it can reduce our refined oil import significantly.

We need to strengthen Muhammadiyah to curb Saudi influence in Islamic teaching. NU and Saudi Wahhabi Islam is too different so better strengthen Muhammadiyah that relatively have more common on the teaching, so less likely to face resistance.

 

[Kansel]

This is out of topic but can someone in here kindly explain me how this IMEI regulation work? I'm planning myself to get a google pixel phone, the problem is pixel phone series don't have official store in Indonesia will it affected by this IMEI regulation? Thanks

 

[Logam42]

In Indonesia, Will COVID-19 Trigger Another Asian Financial Crisis?


History may not repeat, but it does rhyme.

By James Guild
May 21, 2020

Credit: Unsplash
GDP growth to slow to between 2.3 and .4 percent for the year – and even this may be optimistic. As the scale of the crisis became clear in early March, capital outflows began to pummel the rupiah, eventually pushing it to over 16,600 to the dollar, a level not seen since the Asian Financial Crisis. As the crisis unfolds, it is thus natural to wonder if the turbulence of the 1990s is repeating itself.

I would argue it is not. The challenge posed by the COVID-19 crisis is something wholly new and different, with limited parallels in historical precedent. If anything, the scale of this crisis is greater than those that came before and so requires different policy responses. On its face there are superficial similarities with the Asian Financial Crisis: COVID-19 is causing capital outflows, currency depreciation, a huge economic contraction and potentially some political or social instability if the situation drags on for a long time.

But those are just symptoms.

This time around, the root cause and therefore the appropriate treatments are different. The Asian Financial Crisis was, first and foremost, a liquidity crisis. For much of the 1990s, capital flowed into Indonesia from abroad as President Suharto warmed to the neoliberal development model and the rent-seeking opportunities it created. When investors fled the market in 1997, it put immense pressure on the currency (which at that time was pegged to a basket of other currencies) and the rupiah had to be floated, resulting in rapid and massive loss of value. This, in turn, exposed the house of cards that was Indonesia’s banking system as foreign debt suddenly became impossible to service.

Such a shock would have crippled practically any banking system, but in Indonesia what it revealed was that domestic banks had been propping up conglomerates connected to Suharto cronies by disguising their bad debt. There were riots in Jakarta. The IMF sailed in with a lifeline. Suharto stepped down. The economy went on ice for a few years. And in the end, Indonesia emerged as a more robust democracy.

There is almost nothing in that story that resonates with the underlying drivers of the COVID-19 crisis. The rupiah is not pegged anymore; it can and does adjust very quickly to even minor moves by the Federal Reserve. Bank Indonesia has over $100 billion in foreign exchange reserves at the ready to prop up the rupiah in the face of capital outflows. But perhaps the biggest difference between then and now is that Indonesia’s domestic banks are much healthier.

Take the four largest banks in Indonesia – Bank Central Asia, Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Bank Negara Indonesia. At the end of 2019 they had combined total assets of 4,500 trillion Indonesian rupiah (IDR) (approximately $300 billion, using an exchange rate of 15,000 rupiah to the dollar). They had IDR 2,924 trillion ($195 billion) in loans outstanding against IDR 3,166 trillion ($211 billion) in customer deposits. That is an average loan to deposit ratio of 92 percent, which is generally within industry standards. It also means Indonesia’s banks are originating loans the old fashioned way – from customer deposits – rather than through financial shenanigans that would leave them over-leveraged.

The average capital adequacy ratio (a metric that gauges a bank’s ability to cover its liabilities) of these four banks was 21.84 percent — under international banking standards established by Basel III, the minimum required ratio is 8 percent. Underwriting standards have also apparently improved quite a bit, as their average rate of gross non-performing loans was 2.15 percent, which is relatively low. Indonesia’s domestic banking sector is much less of a systemic risk than in the 1990s – the banks are better capitalized, are issuing higher quality loans, and are not over-leveraged. If the situation continues as is, we might nevertheless see more capital outflows or a wave of bankruptcies but the financial system is more robust and the central bank has several tools that can help ameliorate such an eventuality.

is apparently being modified to serve as a simpler direct cash transfer scheme. But more is still needed to keep the most vulnerable afloat until demand more fully recovers.

When will demand recover? It is possible that the business friendly omnibus bill currently under consideration by the legislature, as well as a weakened rupiah, will lead to more investment and more exports that will help revive economic growth quickly. But that is far from a sure thing. This means the only certain way through this in the short-term is domestic consumers.

Fortunately, consumption and expenditures in Indonesia before the crisis were fairly robust. Travel is one obvious example. In 2018 15.8 million foreign tourists came to Indonesia; during that same time period there were 300 million domestic tourists. This is just one example, but it holds true for most sectors in Indonesia – demand is not sustained by external forces as much as it is from within. This is the primary reason Jokowi sought to avoid a strict lockdown that would result in business closures or loss of income — Indonesia’s capacity for resilience in the face of this crisis is rooted in the ability of local consumers and businesses to carry on and bounce back.

Another area that could bubble over into systemic crisis is in the supply chain. Supply chains in Indonesia, especially when it comes to staple goods, are very complicated and intensely political. Food is one such good and the state-owned commodities broker BULOG is the key player. BULOG’s mandate is to ensure a stable price for certain goods – primarily rice – by intervening to correct for market imbalances in supply and demand, such as those created by COVID-19. BULOG’s record in successfully executing this mandate is mixed, but that is in any event their official purpose.

The next several months will reveal if they are up to the task. So far the signs in this area are also moderately encouraging. BULOG has promised that it will buy surplus rice from producers if the price falls below a certain threshold, and then distribute it to regions experiencing shortages. The government also relaxed import licensing requirements for onions and garlic as prices skyrocketed in March, which has helped bring the price down dramatically. I just bought some onions last week and they were a sixth of the price they were a month ago, which suggests the government can act quickly to relieve supply chain pressure when it has to. More actions along these lines will likely be required in the months to come.

This also underlines another critical difference between now and 1998 – the role of state-owned enterprises. When the IMF extended their bailout, it was conditioned on Indonesia complying with various neoliberal priorities such as deregulation and privatization of state-owned companies. This time the state-owned sector is one of the pillars of the Jokowi administration, having massively ramped up during his first term. And it will almost certainly be key to Indonesia’s economic recovery.

For one, SOEs can borrow money that does not count against the government’s borrowing caps. So while the government can only borrow around 5 percent of GDP to finance its fight against COVID-19, its phalanx of SOEs can borrow and raise money on capital markets that does not count toward that limit and will greatly expand its financial firepower – as long as there are investors willing to hold the debt. Bank Mandiri (which is majority owned by the government of Indonesia) just issued $500 million in bonds that were oversubscribed by five times, indicating such a willingness still exists, at least for certain companies.

The other unique characteristic of SOEs, especially those that hold monopolies on the provision of staple goods like fuel or electricity, is that the government can essentially force them to provide these goods at a discount and eat the losses. The state-owned electric utility, PLN, has already said it will provide low or no-cost power to millions of vulnerable households for the next several months. If the government cannot directly send cash to these families, it can at least force the state-owned electric utility to provide in-kind services for free. There will likely be many similar examples in the months to come.

History may not repeat, but it does rhyme. On the surface, the COVID-19 situation bears similarities to the Asian Financial Crisis. But dig a little deeper, and the underlying causes as well as the proportional policy responses are different. This time the banking system is on sound footing and the political leadership is reasonably strong. The puzzle is how to keep economic activity on life support until demand can more fully recover, while minimizing supply chain disruptions. And this time, instead of being the villains of the story, state-owned companies will likely play a critical supporting role. The road ahead is undoubtedly challenging, but just as in the 1990s the resilience of the Indonesian people and their economy will likely persevere in the end.

@jamesjguild.
_____________________________________________________________________

Bottom line is that financially, Indonesia is well placed to handle this crises. The debt level is low and the business sector is solid with good financial reserves and good quality of loaning.

While some SOEs are in heavier debt than 4 years ago due to the infrastructure push. Overall thay are much better managed and have a much healthier portfolio than during the 1998 period. As the article hints, they can really show their worth during crisis periods, and are already are.

 

[trishna_amṛta]

This is out of topic but can someone in here kindly explain me how this IMEI regulation work? I'm planning myself to get a google pixel phone, the problem is pixel phone series don't have official store in Indonesia will it affected by this IMEI regulation? Thanks

It won't work here.

Bottom line is that financially, Indonesia is well placed to handle this crises. The debt level is low and the business sector is solid with good financial reserves and good quality of loaning.

Our monetary policy since the 2nd term of SBY era has been for stabilization rather than growth, although in the early days of JKW administration Jokowi did try to shifting it to growth but I believe people like ms. Mulyani advised against it. Hopefully it will pay out during this time of crisis because we seriously need stable condition considering our forex reserve.