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The Indonesian government is working to strengthen food stability to control the inflation rate, Head of the Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) of the Ministry of Finance Febrio Kacaribu has said.

One of the biggest contributors to the inflation of 2.28 percent year-on-year (yoy) recorded in September was rice. Therefore, to anticipate price increases, the government quickly met supply needs through rice imports.

"The volatile food (VF) component of price inflation has also continued its upward trend, mainly driven by rising rice prices due to the impact of El Nino," Kacaribu said here on Tuesday.

The President, he added, has instructed that rice imports be increased by one million tons to strengthen national rice reserves.

Volatile price inflation in September was recorded at 3.62 percent yoy, up from 2.42 percent yoy in August.

Besides maintaining rice supplies, the government is also making other efforts to maintain food stability such as market operations and the provision of cheap food in various regions.

"The non-cash food assistance program, which started this month, is also expected to be able to maintain people's purchasing power and restrain the increase in food prices," said Kacaribu.

Although rice made a large contribution to September inflation, the inflation rate was still lower compared to August, when it reached 3.27 percent yoy.

This decline was driven by a slowdown in inflation in the government-administered price component (AP) and core inflation.

Inflation in AP components experienced a sharp decline in line with the end of the base effect of fuel price adjustments in September 2022.

However, the government will remain alert to pressure on non-subsidized fuel prices, tracking the recent trend of increasing world crude oil prices.

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded annual inflation of 2.28 percent in September 2023. Meanwhile, the monthly inflation (month-to-month/mtm) reading was 0.19 percent and year-to-date (ytd) inflation was 1.63 percent.

(Antara News)

Indonesia will encourage Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) members to include illegal wildlife trade (IWT) as transnational organized crime (TOC) at the organization's 61st Annual Session, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly stated.

The meeting will be held at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), Bali, on October 15-20, 2023.

"AALCO is an important moment for us to encourage Asian-African countries to have the same view on various issues," he told the press after opening the "Kompolnas Public Consultation with Law Practitioners and Mass Media Practitioners" event here on Tuesday.

The minister also drew attention to the fact that several countries did not share the same view as Indonesia regarding the subject of including illegal fishing as a TOC, environmental issues, and asset recovery.

According to Laoly, shared views established in this forum also have the potential to be applied by Asian and African countries in other international forums, especially to fight discriminatory regulations implemented by developed countries, for instance, on the palm oil issue.

"Issues like that, both in the environment and others, we share (them) with Asian and African member countries of AALCO, so that we can use this as a common platform in dealing with other international interests," he remarked.

Earlier, at a media gathering on the preparation of the 61st Annual Session of the AALCO here on Monday, Laoly stated that the government would push for illegal fishing to be included as a TOC at the organization's 61st Annual Session.

"This is important to be conveyed because economic losses from illegal fishing are very large," he emphasized.

The 61st Annual Session of the AALCO will be attended by 47 AALCO member countries, 44 observer countries, 24 observer organizations, two observer authorities, and two permanent observer countries.

The meeting will discuss several issues that include the violation of international law in Palestine, sustainable development, international trade and investment law, and maritime law.

(Antara News)

The peak of the dry season in Indonesia is projected to occur in October 2023, causing extreme heat in some regions, according to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

During normal conditions, the dry season occurs from June to August, said Eddy Hermawan, a main researcher at the BRIN Center for Climate and Atmospheric Research, on Tuesday.

However, the El Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) phenomena caused a shift in the seasons, so the dry season lasted until October, he said.

"Currently, El Nino is positive and IOD is also positive. Both will peak around October 2023," Hermawan noted.

The two phenomena of sea surface water temperature oscillations --El Nino in the Pacific Ocean and IOD in the western Indian Ocean-- cause countries located on the equator, such as Indonesia, to feel quite massive impacts.

Several areas in Indonesia are projected to experience extreme hot temperatures, including Surabaya in East Java (43 degrees Celsius), Semarang in Central Java (40 degrees Celsius), and Jakarta (37 degrees Celsius), in mid-October 2023.

Hermawan explained that all the water vapor and rain clouds are currently being pulled towards the north and west, as the center of low pressure is in the Pacific Ocean and the west of the Indian Ocean, where El Nino and IOD occur.

Being influenced by both phenomena, Indonesia tends to experience prolonged dry seasons.

"I hope that October 2023 will be the end of the hot dry season. El Nino and IOD are predicted to enter the neutral phase at the end of February or early March 2024," he remarked.

Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that Cilacap in Central Java is an area currently experiencing extreme drought, as it has not rained for more than 60 days.

Areas experiencing extreme drought in Cilacap include the sub-districts of Majenang, Wanareja, Cimanggu, Cipari, and Karangpucung. Meanwhile, other areas are in the medium to very long category, or 11-60 days without rain.

(Antara News)

The Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is now among the world-class sports tourism destinations, Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Kartika Wirjoatmodjo has said.

"The Mandalika zone is in a very good stage. Most MotoGP fans can recognize Mandalika, and we are seeing an improvement in the flow of international and domestic tourists," he expounded at a MotoGP press conference here on Tuesday.

He said both domestic and foreign tourists now recognize Mandalika, which is located in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, due to its selection as the venue for the World Superbike and MotoGP events.

Other national and international sports events, such as the Shell Eco Marathon, the L'Etape cycling race, the TNI Marathon, and several water sports activities were also held at Mandalika.

In addition, the deputy minister said Mandalika has a number of marine tourism attractions such as stunning beaches, and it also offers underwater tourism.

He noted that the increasingly popular Mandalika SEZ is supported by good infrastructure, such as roads, transportation, hotels, and restaurants.

He said all stakeholders, including the government, tourism attraction management officials, investors, and locals, have supported efforts to boost the area's popularity.

"Hopefully, the MotoGP will be a catalyst to build sports tourism destinations and provide economic benefits for the community, especially in West Nusa Tenggara," he added.

On the same occasion, President Director of state-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Center (ITDC) Ari Respati said that his side is focusing on building Mandalika as a sports tourism destination through efforts such as holding the MotoGP Mandalika 2023 event.

"The MotoGP event in Mandalika turned out to be an icon and pride of the locals. This is proof of succeeding the government's mandate," he said.

He also emphasized that ITDC, as a part of the state-owned holding, InJourney, is developing Mandalika in a sustainable manner.

(Antara News)