VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia's foreign affairs and finance ministries have agreed to collaborate to improve institutional cooperation to support economic diplomacy, including to help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) enter global markets.

To strengthen cooperation, the two ministries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Field of State Finance and Foreign Relations to Support Economic Diplomacy on Monday.

The agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

"Through this MoU, the government will support MSMEs to enter global markets," Marsudi said during the MoU signing ceremony at Pancasila Building, Jakarta.

Under the administration of President Joko Widodo, Indonesia is providing great support to MSMEs, as they are the backbone of the national economy, she added.

"With the largest number of MSMEs in Southeast Asia, our MSMEs' contribution to the economy only reaches 15 percent. Meanwhile, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand (MSME contributions to their economy) are bigger," Marsudi noted.

She said she expects the collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Finance Ministry to be implemented immediately in Indonesia's 131 representative offices abroad, which serve as the "eyes and ears" as well as information agents overseas.

In the short term, Marsudi asked the team from the foreign affairs and finance ministries to map out strategies between MSMEs and Indonesian representatives and conduct a comprehensive study of opportunities for Indonesian MSME products in accredited countries.

"The Finance Ministry can provide data on the potential of MSMEs based on joint curation regarding their superiority and export capacity," she said.

She added that after obtaining the data, the ministry can synergize and encourage the implementation of the strategies. Meanwhile, the Indonesian representatives will provide accurate information regarding entry permits and market penetration.

In the long term, both ministries will need to set up performance evaluation mechanisms based on accurate criteria, such as exports and revenue, Marsudi emphasized.

"In the future, we should expand this collaboration to ministries and relevant agencies to form a great strategy for MSMEs to go global, from capacity development, production financing, to product marketing," she added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia cornered as much as 40 percent of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN's) digital economy market in 2022, according to the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

"In 2022, the value of the digital economy in ASEAN reached US$194 billion, with Indonesia holding 40 percent of it," Rizal Edwin, the ministry's expert staff for digital transformation, creativity, and human resources, informed at the 2023 Indonesia Retail Summit in Jakarta on Monday.

With a population of 679 million, which accounts for 8 percent of the total global population, the ASEAN wields enormous market potential in the world of business, including in the retail sector, he highlighted.

Furthermore, he said that the emergence of e-commerce, or online shopping platforms, as part of information and communication technology development has provided consumers with easier access to products and services and created new business opportunities, thereby transforming the face of the retail sector in ASEAN.

"The ever-intensifying internet penetration and use of smartphones have led the region to see a highly rapid development in online trading activities, which, in turn, has brought about new opportunities to business actors," he noted.

The stable rate of economic growth enjoyed by ASEAN countries has affected the retail sector in the region, he added.

"The economic growth rate of some ASEAN countries has been recorded at figures that are higher compared to the world's average of 3.1 percent. Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia have recorded growth rates in a range between 3.8 to 8.7 percent," he pointed out.

He then affirmed that Indonesia, the 2023 ASEAN chair, has made significant contributions to driving the region to establish highly beneficial trade cooperation with partner countries, with its efforts including fighting for the finalization of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the European Union.

The expert staff also expressed optimism that Indonesia's digital economy, whose value is projected to reach US$150 billion by 2025, would serve as a crucial instrument for recovering the national economy. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin called on stakeholders to increase the exports of agricultural commodities that are already stable at present.

"Exports of agricultural commodities that are already good can be continuously increased," Amin remarked while presenting the Adhikarya Agricultural Development Award at the Vice Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

According to the vice president, rice production in 2022 was better than that in 2021, reaching 31.5 million tons. Meanwhile, at the macro level, the agricultural sector was growing consistently, with total exports of agricultural products in 2022 amounting to Rp658 trillion.

Vice President Amin remarked that the nation's success in maintaining the stability of supply and prices of food commodities could not be separated from the decline in the inflation rate that was still at a controlled level.

This achievement is also supported by the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform that created a program to increase the capacity of agricultural officers and supports regulatory reform, he affirmed.

"Support from the regional governments is also important to implement agricultural development in the region," he emphasized.

On the same occasion, the vice president also lauded the Ministry of Agriculture's initiative in presenting the Adhikarya Agricultural Development Award for related stakeholders.

"I supported the ministry's initiative to present the Adhikarya Agricultural Development Award as a tribute to the dedication and hard work in the agricultural sector," he remarked.

Vice President Amin then congratulated the award winners and expressed hope that they would increase productivity and synergy in overcoming various challenges to achieve prosperity.

"Hopefully, this award will increase motivation, inspire, and multiply the enthusiasm of agricultural stakeholders to increase agricultural productivity and farmer welfare, build a better agricultural ecosystem, and strengthen synergies in overcoming various challenges to agricultural development," he affirmed.

The vice president also appealed to agricultural stakeholders to strengthen cooperation for the sake of advancement and prosperity of the farmers.

"Let us develop an advanced agriculture and prosperous farmers towards a prosperous and glorious Indonesia," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo stated that agricultural development achievements could be successful due to the role of the central and regional governments. Hence, an award should be given to commend their efforts and hard work.

On that occasion, the Adhikarya Utama Award was presented to Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono and Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Abdullah Azwar Anas.

Meanwhile, the Adhikarya Nararya Award was bestowed upon Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi, South Kalimantan Governor Sahbirin Noor, South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman, South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, and East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (PMK) Muhadjir Effendy has appealed to people to wear masks during daily activities to anticipate the threat of acute respiratory infection induced by the worsening air quality in Jakarta.

"Wear masks, especially when you find yourselves in an unwell condition," he said in Jakarta on Monday.

The minister confirmed that the air quality in Indonesia, especially in the national capital, has worsened to an alarming level, noting that the concentration of air pollution in Jakarta has reduced the visibility of the city's views from his office.

Minister Effendy then said that the new capital Nusantara (IKN) is currently being developed, saying, "Relocating (the capital city) to IKN serves as a strategic solution to this matter."

Regarding the transition to electric vehicles, he pointed out that such a transition would not completely resolve the air pollution problem.

"We still need a long time to eventually treat electric vehicles as the main option. Currently, they are substitutive vehicles in nature," he explained.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo pushed for the implementation of a hybrid working system as an effort to reduce air pollution in Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabodetabek), which has plunged to a very bad category in the past week.

"If necessary, we should push offices to adopt a hybrid working system involving both work from office and work from home. Regarding working hours, we will decide whether it is 7-5, 2-5, or others," he informed during a limited meeting in Jakarta on Monday.

The head of state stressed that the air quality in Jakarta has deteriorated to a very bad level, adding that in the short term, he has instructed the related ministries and non-ministerial governmental agencies to intervene in improving the air quality in the Jabodetabek area.

The intervention measures will include weather engineering to induce rainfall in Jabodetabek as well as the enforcement of regulations that aim to accelerate the implementation of emission limits, especially in the area in question.

Furthermore, the President also called for increasing the number of spots for green open spaces (RTH) in the area and demanded that related stakeholders immediately prepare the budget required for implementing the instruction.

In the medium term, the government plans to consistently execute policies aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based vehicles and encourage the public to transition to mass transport, he added.

Meanwhile, in the long term, he continued, the government has resolved to strengthen concrete actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. (Antaranews)