VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) appealed to all parties to use the momentum unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic to expedite transformation of the national economy.

At the XXI ISEI Congress and the 2021 National Seminar, held virtually here on Tuesday, President Jokowi noted that Indonesia should be able to change its economic dependence from consumption-based to production-based.

He cited an example of transformation in the industrial sector being conducted by processing nickel commodities into value-added commodities, such as lithium batteries.

"We encourage all existing commodities for downstreaming, for industrialization, for instance nickel. In three to four years it will be processed into finished goods, such as lithium, electric, and electric car batteries," he remarked.

Apart from nickel, the president also encouraged the processing of mining commodities, such as bauxite, and plantation commodities, including palm oil, into value-added products.

In addition, he encouraged the acceleration of transformation in the agricultural sector as a whole, from upstream to downstream.

According to the president, the production of agricultural commodities should be diversified. Institutional farmers with a cluster model should also be strengthened. In addition, farmer-owned enterprises, cooperatives, and village-owned enterprises must also continue to be developed.

"The added value of post-harvest agricultural commodities must be increased. Moreover, marketing should be expanded by establishing partnerships with the industrial sector," according to the president.

President Jokowi emphasized that synergy among all parties was the key to achieving national economic transformation. Synergy between various parties is deemed necessary in the wake of complex challenges in pursuing economic transformation.

"I hope this congress would produce ideas that will enable our nation to get through these difficult times,” President Jokowi stated.   (Antaranews)