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February
The Indonesian Minister of Trade, Agus Suparmanto, said that the government will limit food and beverage imports from the People's Republic of China. The restriction was made following the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the country. Agus Suparmanto on the sidelines of a sudden inspection at the Wonokromo Market in Surabaya, East Java on Friday, January 31, said, in addition to carrying out restrictions, importers would also be asked to selectively import food and beverages. This because the current spread of the virus is already at an alarming level. However, the Minister was reluctant to specify the types of food and drinks he would limit to enter Indonesia. He said all foods would be strictly selected.
Corona virus outbreaks have spread and killed more than 200 people and infected thousands of others. The Ministry of Health previously stated that the Corona Virus can only live on animate objects. Secretary of the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health Achmad Yurianto said the virus can also only develop in living cells. On this basis, he said that imports of goods from China remained safe.
Nevertheless, Minister of Trade Agus Suparmanto stressed, the government remained cautious. He claimed that he would not totally stop importing from China, since some Indonesian importers have also been bound by contracts. The Minister said that he did not want to make a harmful policy. Adding, this limitation might later affect the decline in import figures, though would not have much effect on exports.
A few days earlier, the Director General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance Heru Pambudi said that the government was currently focusing on watching out the movement of people between countries to anticipate the virus entering Indonesia. However, the latest developments from the spread of the virus would also be followed closely. If it is required, restrictions on imported products from China can be applied.
January
Indonesia and Singapore Strengthening Cooperation of the Increasing of Industrial Competitiveness
Written by MaryatiGovernments of Indonesia and Singapore agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in an effort to increase competitiveness and development of industrial sector, beginning from increasing the investment till the implementation of vocational education programs. This is believed to encourage economic growth in both countries.
Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, after meeting Singaporean Minister of Trade and Industry, Chan Chun Sing at the Ministry of Industry, Jakarta on Tuesday (Jan28). as reported by Antara News Agency, said that the two countries had cooperated to encourage the application of 4.0 industry. This was stated at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Industrial Research and Development Agency, the Indonesian Ministry of Industry and Enterprise Singapore, at the Indonesia-Singapore Leaders Retreat event at the IMF Annual Meeting session in Bali, October 2018.
In addition, the two countries have established cooperation aimed at increasing industrial human resources, especially in Indonesia, through vocational education programs. Since 2018, training has been conducted for 100 participants consisting of school principals, deputy principals and teachers in Indonesia. This year there will be the implementation of training of 4.0 industry for 120 participants, including management staffs and industrial polytechnic teachers.
During the first semester of 2019, Singapore remained one of biggest investors in Indonesia, with an investment of US$3.4 billion. Next cooperation opportunities include exploring the development of integrated industrial estates such as the Kendal Industrial Estate, and also in other areas of Indonesia outside Java, such as Tanah Kuning in North Kalimantan, Kuala Tanjung in North Sumatra, Bitung in North Sulawesi, Batanjung in Central Kalimantan, Palu in Central Sulawesi and Jambi. Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita also conveyed to the Singaporean Minister of Trade and Industry, to look for the country's investors who are interested to invest in the sectors.
Minister Agus Gumiwang added, his Ministry invited Singapore to participate in building maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of industrial area of the Bintan Islands at the location that had been prepared. In addition, the Minister also encouraged the acceleration of cooperation in logistics to build a network in ASEAN that will be centered in Batam. To support ASEAN economic activities in particular, Indonesia and Singapore agreed to prioritize digital economic development as well as food innovation and safety.
January
Soekarno-Hatta Airport Builds New Facilities to Improve Aircraft Movement
Written by MaryatiThe completion of new facilities of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport comprising runway 3 and the East Connection Taxiway (ECT) is expected to support the efficiency of aircraft movement at the airport. It was stated by Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi when observing the new facilities of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday (Jan26).
The Runway 3 at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport which was inaugurated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday (Jan23) has operated since the end of 2019 namely during the celebrations of Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
The Indonesian Transportation Ministry claimed that the new facilities of the Soekarno-Hatta International Aiport would accelerate the aircraft movement from 8 percent to 30 percent. Minister Budi Karya Sumadi pointed out that the Soekarno-Hatta Airport is the face of Indonesia. Therefore, the airport must improve its services and safety procedure. The Minister called on all related stakeholders in the sector of aviation to keep developing aircraft facilities and infrastructures which can be implemented in all regions across Indonesia.
Based on report of the PT Angkasa Pura II, the aircraft movement during the Christmas and New Year celebrations improved 80 movements per hour to 100 movements per hour since the inauguration of the Runway 3 and East Cross Taxiway since the end of 2019.
Among the benefits of the Runway 3 and east cross taxiway include improving flight safety through the separation of runways for takeoff and landing, reducing aircraft queues from 6 to 9 aircrafts to approximately 3 planes as well as accelerating aircraft movement from aprons to runways.
January
Indonesia and Italy Strengthen Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture
Written by MaryatiIndonesian Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Italian Minister of Agrigulture, Food and Forestry, Teresia Bellanova signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) about the strengthening of cooperation of both countries in the promotion of agricultural products. The signing of the MoU was conducted when the two Ministers met in Rome Italy on Monday (20/1/2020). The bilateral cooperation covers culture, agricultural mechanism, water resources management, education and training, research and capacity building of human resurces.
During the meeting, Indonesian and Italian Ministers Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Teresa Bellanova discussed a number of issues, particularly in increasing of trade and investment values in the field of agriculture between the two countries. Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo mentioned about the superiority of Indonesian agricultural commodities such as palm oil, rubber, tropical fruits, tea and spices. He also explained that Indonesian products have met the European Union standards on health. Thereby, the products can be exported to the EU markets, including Italy. He also stressed that Indonesian agricultural sector has applied Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) method, and managed sustainably.Moreover, Minister Syahrul called for Italian investors to invest in the sector of agriculture and livestock in Indonesia.
In a special occassion, both Ministers discussed about Indonesian palm oil exports. As it is known that the commodity is used to managing food industry as well as bio-diesel material in Italy. Responding the case, Minister Teresa Bellanova said that she understood the explanation about the role of palm oil plantation in providing employment and eradicating poverty in Indonesia.
Menawhile, Indonesian Ambassador to Italy, Esti Andayani evaluated that the signing of the MoU between Indonesia and Italy can intensively strengthen the relationship of the both countries and encourage development in agricultural sector in Indonesia. Ambassador Esti Andayani said that the MoU will facilitate the implementation of exchange information of agriculture, training for capacity building and joint research of the two countries’ agriculture research centers.
Indonesia and Italy have good relations which have been established since 1959 and they just celebrated the 70th diplomatic relations in 2019. Italy is the 3rd biggest trade partner for Indonesia among the EU countries. During theJanuary-November 2019 period, the trade values of the two countries reached to US$3.17 billion dollars.
January
While accompanying Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his visit to Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province -NTT, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya had the opportunity to visit the Village Seedling Gardens and prospective nursery locations for Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday, Jan 19. Minister Siti Nurbaya said that the Labuan Bajo Village Seedling Garden was one of the results of the 1,000 village nursery program being carried out by the Ministry throughout Indonesia.
On the same occasion, Siti Nurbaya, also conducted a survey of prospective modern nursery sites in Labuan Bajo. The area of the modern nursery is around 30 hectares, located in Satar Kodi village, Nggorang, Komodo subdistrict, West Manggarai Regency. A number of endemic plants will be provided in this modern nursery and it is estimated that each year it can produce 1 million seedlings.
The development of the modern nursery of Labuan Bajo is an effort to overcome the condition of critical and unproductive land which is still widely available in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, including Labuan Bajo tourism area. With the availability of plant seedlings in modern nurseries, it will support planting efforts to create a green and beautiful environment, clean and fresh air, productive land and shady and comfortable microclimate, so that creating a positive image and increasing tourists to coming to the region.
The Village Seedlings Garden is also aimed to guarantee the need for quality seeds in large quantities quickly and sustainably in the context of planting. The modern nursery of Labuan Bajo is planned to be integrated with seed sources, arboretum, urban forests and parks as eco-edu forests. This nursery development is also in the context of supporting Labuan Bajo as one of the five super priority tourism destinations. The Indonesian government is currently developing super priority tourism destinations namely Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Likupang in North Sulawesi, and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
January
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi said at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat meeting in Nha Trang, Vietnam, (16-17 January 2020) that the Indonesian government emphasized full support for Vietnam's leadership this year. The meeting highlighted a theme "Cohesive and Responsive". As quoted by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, kemlu.go.id, in the meeting, Minister Retno Marsudi explained, Indonesia is happy to note that ASEAN has completed many lines of action of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the ASEAN Community Blueprint. This year's mid-term review is a major step to ensure the full realization of the ASEAN Vision and its Blueprint. In addition, she added as a follow-up to ASEAN's views on the Indo-Pacific, Indonesia said that it would hold an ASEAN-World Economic Forum on Indo-Pacific Infrastructure and Connectivity in Jakarta on 7-9 July 2020. This meeting will involve the governments and businesspeople of ASEAN and Indo-Pacific countries. Indonesia also emphasized that ASEAN must remain an engine of peace and stability. According to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, ASEAN must be consistent in ensuring peace and stability in the region, including in the South China Sea. At the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat, ASEAN agreed to ensure that international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is respected by all parties.
Besides， Indonesia also encourages ASEAN to prioritize the issues of women, peace and security. Indonesia will hold a second regional training on women, peace and security this year. Regarding Vietnam's priority for leadership in 2020, Indonesia hopes that the AICHR Term of Reference review can be completed under Vietnam's leadership. Indonesia also encouraged ASEAN to more actively collaborate in ensuring the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to be signed in 2020.
In promoting ASEAN's identity, awareness and pride, Indonesia proposes the adoption of an ASEAN Narratives on ASEAN Identity which is currently being discussed at the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Pillar. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat was the first meeting held by Vietnam during its presidency. Through the theme "Cohesive and Responsive", ASEAN is expected to be able to strengthen unity and boost its presence in the community.
January
President Joko Widodo visited Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara between 19 and 21 of January 2020. The Indonesian government had included Labuan Bajo as one of the five super priority destinations.
On the first day of his working visit on Monday, President Joko Widodo held a limited cabinet meeting with Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama, Public Works and People Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar, State-owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir, National Disaster Mitigation Agency Head Lt Gen Doni Monardo, National Search and Rescue Agency Head Vice Admiral Bagus Puruhito, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Viktor Laiskodata and West Manggarai Regent Agustinus Ch. Dula.
After the meeting, the President conveyed his intention to prepare Labuan Bajo for G20 Summit in 2023. Another international event to be held in Labuan Bajo will be the ASEAN Summit. The President said, the biggest obstacle in preparing Labuan Bajo as an international event host is infrastructure, landscape, waste, and raw water deficiency. Therefore, the preparation must begin this year.
About raw water, President Joko Widodo asked Minister Basuki to increase raw water capacity to around 100 milliliters per second. On waste, he wanted the Public Works and People Housing Ministry to prepare integrated waste management infrastructure, both for land and sea waste. For land waste, President wants the Ministry to build an incinerator and landfill. While for sea waste, he wants ships to be responsible for the cleaning. These activities are expected to begin in February 2020. President affirmed that the most important part is people’s education about waste management. He hoped there will be no garbage in Labuan Bajo.
The Head of State has also instructed Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar to make green areas by planting seeds. The target is to produce five million to seven million trees every year.
In infrastructure, President Joko Widodo pushed for the development of Komodo Airport and the tourism area. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said, he will expand the runway at Komodo Airport. With the expansion, the runway can be used for big aircrafts such as Airbus 300.
January
Processing Industry Becomes the Mainstay of Indonesian Exports
Written by MaryatiThe processing industry still consistently provides the largest contribution to national exports. From January to December 2019, exports of processing industry products were able to reach more than US$126.00 billion dollars or 75.5 percent of Indonesia's total exports over the past year.
Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in Jakarta on Thursday, January 16, 2020, the government was indeed focusing on increasing the value of exports to improve Indonesia's trade balance. Therefore, the manufacturing sector has a very important role to achieve these goals. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency, the five sectors that contributed the most to the achievement of the export value of the manufacturing industry during 2019, were the food industry, basic metals, chemicals and articles of chemicals, the clothing industry, paper and paper products industry .
The five main export destinations for Indonesia's manufactured products in the January-December 2019 period are the United States, China, Japan, Singapore and India. Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita emphasized that the government continues to expand export markets, especially to non-traditional countries.
He explained that various strategic steps had been carried out by the Ministry of Industry in an effort to increase the value of exports from the manufacturing sector. These efforts include industrial development through increasing competitiveness and preparing superior products. Also the use of free trade agreements (FTA) such as the acceleration of FTA negotiations, expansion into non-traditional markets, and the initiation of bilateral FTAs according to industry needs. In addition, an international promotion program was implemented through promotion and export assistance, increasing the capacity of producers for exports, as well as linking and matching with global production networks.
Minister Agus Gumiwang added, Indonesia is the official country partner at the Hannover Messe 2020 event. This could be a good momentum to introduce the readiness of Indonesia's industry in the 4.0 era, promote investment and export cooperation in the industrial sector, and strengthen bilateral cooperation with Germany and with countries oriented towards technological innovation. This event is important for Indonesia not only because it is the first country in ASEAN to become an Official Partner Country, but also supports national branding efforts on Indonesia's position as one of the new powers of the world economy and global manufacturing players. The exhibition will take place in Hannover, Germany, from 20 to 24 April 2020.
January
Ministry of Environment and Forestry Focuses on Rehabilitation of Java Island with Social Forestry
Written by nuke
Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) focuses on rehabilitation of Java through this year's Social Forestry program. Director General of Social Forestry and the Environmental Partnership at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Bambang Supriyanto said that in this rehabilitation effort, there will be an additional Indicative Map and Social Forestry Area for Permit of the Utilization of Social Forestry Forests in Java. Bambang Supriyanto in Jakarta, Monday (Jan 13), said, forest degradation in Java is below 10 percent. The location has been mapped as a location for Social Forestry Utilization Permit.
On the third revision of Indicative Map and the Social Forestry Area, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, reserved 13.8 million hectares area for social forestry. While the addition to the Permit of the Utilization of Social Forestry in Java will be around 326,000 hectares, covering the areas of East Java, West Java, Central Java, and Banten. The location lies in 44 districts and 74 sub-districts.
Bambang said, the realization of the Social Forestry program up to December 31, 2019 was recorded there have given management access to 818,457 households, with a total of 6,411 permits/management rights or a total area of 4,048 million hectares.
He said, after the Utilization Permit of Java Island Social Forestry was approved by Minister of Environment and Forestry, assistance to forestry extension would be immediately carried out. They will assist pre to post permits, preparing work plans, and determining the crops or agroforestry patterns which suitable for the specified area.
Bambang said, he wants to increase the number of assistants but reducing the target area of Social Forestry in 2020. This was done because the Ministry of Environment and Forestry wants to improve access of assistance, so that the social forestry business groups that had been running previously could increase and qualified. As of November 2019, 5,208 social forestry business groups have been formed in the Social Forestry program, which is spread across 33 provinces.
January
Indonesia – United Arab Emirates Agreed Cooperation in Various Sectors
Written by MaryatiIndonesia and United Arab Emirates agreed 16 cooperations in various sectors. They are 5 Government to Government and 11 Business to Business. Indonesia and United Arab Emirates agreed to join hand in a project valued 22.89 billion USD and UAE will participate in 30 percent of it or around 6.8 billion USD. President Joko Widodo and UEA Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed witnessed the cooperation signing.
That was the result of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to United Arab Emirates on Sunday (12/1). After accompanying President Joko Widodo in series of state events in Abu Dhabi, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi to media in Abu Dhabi on Sunday revealed the results.
Press conference was held after all state agenda of President Joko Widodo at Qasr Al Watan Palace. MInister Retno Marsudi held the press conference along with Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Luhut Panjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Economy Airlangga Hartarto, State-owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, and Indonesian Ambassador for United Arab Emirates Husin Bagis.
The visit of President Joko Widodo to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates did not only result in business agreements. There were also non-business agreements. As quoted from presidential press release, some agreements were made in bilateral meeting between President Jokowi and Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed. The five cooperation between both governments were religion, education, agriculture, health, and counterterrorism.
President Joko Widodo said, Indonesia wanted to make United Arab Emirates as partner in modern, moderate, and tolerance Islamic education. This is very important in the effort to prevent extremism and terrorism. Cooperation to promote religious moderation concepts, tolerance, as well as to increase public awareness towards extremism became a point agreed in the bilateral meeting.
Meanwhile, Prince Mohamed bin Zayed said, Indonesia is a country of most Muslim population in the world. Therefore, Islam in Indonesia can be the example of peaceful Islam.