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22
January

 

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Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan is leading a trade mission to Saudi Arabia from January 21–23, 2023, to increase trade cooperation between the two countries.

"During this trade mission, we will review the opportunities to open modern Indonesian retail in Medina, Mecca, and Jeddah by Indonesian business actors,” he informed in a statement issued on Saturday.

He said he expects the establishment of modern micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) outlets in Saudi Arabia to help small business players from Indonesia to market their products.

In addition, it will boost national export performance, he pointed out.

The minister noted that the number of visits by Indonesian citizens (WNI) to Saudi Arabia has continued to increase.

"This is a very large market, which must be optimized. Hence, we are continuously striving to improve (bilateral) trade relations," he added.

The sending of the Indonesian trade mission to Saudi Arabia is among efforts to develop new export markets, especially non-traditional ones. Earlier, trade missions were carried out to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India.

"After Saudi Arabia, there will also be trade missions to Eastern Europe, South Asia, Central Asia, and Latin America. If we want to become a developed country by 2045, we must dominate (trade in various) parts of the world,” Hasan said.

If the trade missions are not carried out from now, it will be too late for Indonesia to compete with other global business players in the future, he explained.

During the trade mission to Saudi Arabia, he is scheduled to meet with Minister of Commerce of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, and members of the Saudi Arabian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Furthermore, the minister will hold a discussion with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).

He will also inaugurate an Indonesia-Saudi Arabia business forum, attend a business matching event for Indonesian and Saudi Arabian businesspersons, as well as witness the signing of cooperation agreements between business players in Riyadh.

Members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Indonesian Creative Entrepreneurs Association (APKI), and Indonesian Entrepreneur Chamber (Keind), and a total of 24 Indonesian business actors are participating in the trade mission to Saudi Arabia.

From January to November 2022, Indonesia's trade with Saudi Arabia was recorded at US$7 billion, up 45.42 percent year on year (yoy).

During this period, Indonesia's exports to Saudi Arabia reached US$1.84 billion, while its imports from Saudi Arabia touched US$5.17 billion. (Antaranews)

22
January

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The construction of the Balaraja-Cikarang route of the East-West Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), measuring 84.10 kilometers (km) in length, will be accelerated, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto has informed.

According to a statement released on Saturday, the East-West MRT project, which is worth Rp160 trillion, has been divided into two phases. Phase 1 will cover the Jakarta area and Phase 2 will cover the regions of Banten and West Java. Japan is the main investor in the project.

The establishment of the East-West MRT is in line with the government's efforts to reduce people’s fuel consumption and ease traffic congestion, which is considered one of the problems for people commuting in the Greater Jakarta area.

The government plans to provide three operational depots for the East-West MRT, which is expected to serve 1.2 million passengers per day.

The East-West MRT will also cover 49 Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) areas to help the community in using public transportation massively.

The implementation of Phase 1 of the project will be divided into two stages. Stage 1 will cover the 24.52-km stretch from Tomang, Dukuh Atas, Senen, Perintis, to Medan Satria. Stage 2, which will span 9.23 km, will cover the areas of Tomang and Kembangan.

Phase 1 of the East-West MRT is expected to become operational by 2031, however, the construction of the project is targeted to be completed by no later than 2024.

"The President has instructed that (the construction of) this project be completed by 2024, thus certainly, we need to follow up on this program," the coordinating minister said.

Meanwhile, the construction of Phase 2 of the East-West MRT will also be divided into two stages.

The first one will be Banten East-West MRT, which will cover the areas of Kembangan, Kelapa Dua, and Balaraja, and span 29.99 km. The second one will be West Java East-West MRT, which will cover the areas of Medan Satria and Cikarang and stretch 20.43 km.

"Phase 2 is expected to operate in 2033," Hartarto, who is also the chairperson of the Committee for the Acceleration of Priority Infrastructure Development (KPPIP), informed.

Currently, 27 National Strategic Projects (PSN) are being carried out in Jakarta and its surrounding areas at an estimated investment value of Rp313 trillion.

As of January 2023, of the 27 projects, 3 have become operational, 4 have become partially operational, 6 are under construction, and 14 have entered the preparation and financing stages. (Antaranews)

22
January

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National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa has urged the National Association of Engineers (PII) to contribute to designing cities that reflect national identity, as done in the national capital Nusantara’s development.

"So, I want to compel or challenge PII to contribute thoughts and ideas because earlier, Mr. Danis Hidayat (general chairperson of PII) said that our cities in the future can also follow the example of the national capital city," he said, according to a statement received here on Saturday.

The national development achievements in various cities, which were mostly made by the private sector, were not based on a master plan that took national identity as its basis, Minister Monoarfa noted.

Therefore, his administration will prepare 40 cities as pilot projects whose development will be supported by a master plan. They will include areas like Siak district in Riau, which have a substantial regional budget but no landmark cities at all.

By using all digital instruments, it would be possible to record the appearance of the earth's surface and track traces of urban development, he said.

Efforts to record traces of urban development can start from Nusantara city, whose area has been divided between green areas and buildings. There is also a plant nursery with local plants in the city.

"Today, I am here to challenge the PII to collaborate with the National Development Planning Agency to build 40 cities. Indonesian engineers are makers, Indonesian engineers are not traders," he said in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

On the occasion, Hidayat said that engineers' contribution is very crucial for the nation.

"Our country is truly in need of engineers' support, starting from civil engineering, mechanical, electrical, environmental, shipping, marine, chemical engineering, new renewable energy engineering, and other disciplines. Moreover, each of us can take part in various professions, whether as developers, industry players, government, academics, or researchers," he elaborated.

It has been predicted that global challenges in the digital technology, information, energy, and infrastructure sectors will require Indonesian engineers to improve their professionalism.

"We at PII have also transformed into an engineering authority through Law Number 11 of 2014, and PII has been part of the International Engineering Alliance since 2003. This means that PII will consistently extend great support to engineers in Indonesia to gain global recognition," he said. (Antaranews)

22
January

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The Industry Ministry has consistently supported efforts to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the cocoa processing industry.

"In terms of volume, chocolate products exported amounted to 319,431 tons or 85 percent of the total national production with 96 destination countries, including the United States, India, China, Estonia, and Malaysia. As for the chocolate processing industry, Indonesia is Number 3 in the world, after the Netherlands and Ivory Coast," director general of agro industry at the ministry Putu Juli Ardika informed in a statement received here on Saturday.

Indonesia has vast cocoa processing potential, as it is currently supported by 11 intermediate cocoa processing industries with a capacity of 739,250 tons per year, 900 chocolate processing industries with a capacity of 462,126 tons per year, and 31 artisan chocolate producers with a capacity of 1,242 tons per year.

The export value of intermediate cocoa products, such as cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa cake, and cocoa powder, exceeded US$1.08 billion in 2021 and contributed significantly to foreign exchange, which, in turn, boosted national economic growth.

According to Ardika, to maintain national cocoa production and improve raw material quality and productivity, his administration has been actively encouraging partnerships between the cocoa processing industry and farmers.

Moreover, the ministry is promoting product downstreaming and added value generation by pursuing product diversification and developing fine flavor cocoa that takes into account geographical indications, for example, through the development of artisan chocolate.

“Currently, artisan chocolate’s market share only makes up for 2 percent of domestic chocolate consumption, which is dominated by industrial and confectionary chocolate. Artisan chocolate can take up a share of up to 10 percent in Indonesia," he elaborated.

The raw materials for artisan chocolate are well-fermented premium cocoa beans, which cost Rp50 thousand per kg. They are 43 percent higher in value than the cocoa beans purchased by the industry. This is expected to improve cocoa farmers' welfare and the sustainability of the national cocoa industry.

“The Industry Ministry will encourage the development of artisanal chocolate. Indonesian artisan chocolate is not inferior in quality (in comparison) to global chocolate producers," Ardika said. (Antaranews)