VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi received a visit from Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Jakarta. Foreign Minister Retno said this year marks 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, so it should be utilized as a momentum to improve cooperative relations.

"Lithuania and Indonesia are geographically far apart, but we share the same commitment to the fundamental values of democracy, peace and sustainable development," she said in a joint statement after the meeting, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office in Jakarta, Monday (30/10/2023).

In the field of trade, until mid-2023, Indonesia-Lithuania cooperation increased by 43 percent compared to the previous year. However, according to Retno, this number does not yet show the true potential of cooperation between the two countries.

"To increase two-way trade and ensure more balanced trade benefits, I ask for Minister Landsbergis' support in facilitating more Indonesian products to enter the Lithuanian market, including rubber, paper and wood-based furniture," she said.

Retno further welcomed Indonesian palm oil which is one of the main export commodities to Lithuania. According to her, nearly 800 plantations in Indonesia have received the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certificate.

"I believe Indonesia will be able to provide more sustainable palm oil to Lithuania," she said.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Retno also expressed her appreciation for the expansion of Lithuanian aviation industry investment at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport, including charter flights and new air transportation.

Foreign Minister Retno also highlighted cooperation in education and information technology cooperation. In this regard, she said, the two Foreign Ministers focused on increasing cooperation between universities through joint research and double degree programs.

"This year, Indonesia has also reopened the Darmasiswa Scholarship for Lithuanian students, and there are already 73 Lithuanian alumni from this Darmasiswa Scholarship," she said.

Retno also encouraged stronger cooperation to develop information technology for land and air transportation systems, as well as strengthen cybersecurity partnerships, through human resource capacity building. (Andy Romdoni)

VOInews, Jakarta: Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi invited Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis to participate in efforts to stop violence in Palestine. According to her, this is needed to facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.

"I invite Lithuania to participate in the call for an immediate halt to attacks on civilians, and to ensure safe and sustainable survival and unimpeded humanitarian assistance," she said in a statement delivered after a bilateral meeting with Gabrielius Landsbergis, in Jakarta, Monday (30/10/2023).

Retno said that in three weeks, more than 7,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, 68 percent of whom were women and children. According to her, these killings and hostilities must stop immediately.

"Are these numbers not enough to stop the killings, and initiate an immediate, durable, and sustainable humanitarian ceasefire, leading to a cessation of hostilities?," she said.

She also invited all parties to defend justice and humanity. "Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine must end based on internationally agreed parameters," she concluded.(Andy Romdoni)

VOInews, Jakarta – Acting Minister of Agriculture Arief Prasetyo Adi said to avoid rice imports, the Indonesian government aims to increase rice production to 35 million tons by 2024.

"Next year, I am asking the director general of the Ministry of Agriculture to prepare 35 million tons of rice equivalent," Arief Prasetyo Adi was quoted as saying by ANTARA on Tuesday (24/10/2023).

He said that the production target for 2024 was higher than the 2023 target of 31 million tons. This increase is to ensure that Indonesia does not need to import rice to meet domestic demands.

According to the Area Sample Frame Survey (ASF) by Statistics Indonesia, the estimated rice harvest area in 2023 is 10.20 million hectares, with production projected to reach 53.63 million tons of grain, or equivalent to 30.90 million tons of rice. Meanwhile, rice consumption is estimated at 30.62 million tons, resulting in a surplus of 0.28 million tons of rice.

Acting Minister Arief said to achieve the target by increasing rice productivity from 5.2 tons per hectare to 5.4, 5.5, or even 5.7 tons per hectare.

He also noted that in order to meet the 2024 production target, the ministry, together with agriculture offices across Indonesia, needs to ensure the successful implementation of the first planting season of 2023-2024, which runs from November to March next year.

To achieve this, the guaranteed availability of seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, pest control, and agricultural extension workers has been identified as crucial.

"What is very important to achieve the rice production target is to build a strong food ecosystem," he said.

He also mentioned other efforts to pursue the target by providing agricultural insurance for farmers and agribusiness actors. As well as ensuring the readiness of regional leaders to address problems in the field and awarding agricultural agencies in provinces and districts that have succeeded in increasing production.

"We at the Ministry of Agriculture have also appointed regional focal points so that problems in the field and those faced by rice farmers can be addressed immediately. Therefore, optimizing the role of extension workers is also an important step," he added.

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pahala Mansury encouraged the Indonesia-Latin America and Caribbean Countries (INA-LAC 2023) forum to expand trade and investment cooperation. That, he said, in the field of trade, total INA-LAC trade has increased by 8.9% in the last 5 years.

"In 2022, the value will reach USD 13.10 billion, up 24.4% compared to the previous year," he said in a speech at the opening of the 6th INA-LAC in Jakarta, Monday (16/10/2023).

In addition, that he said, investment between Indonesia, Latin America and the Caribbean is worth USD 11.30 million in 2022, an exponential increase from 2021 which amounted to only USD 1.89 million.

"We must take full advantage of this," he said.

"Both have enormous potential to become renewable energy centers, especially green hydrogen," he said.

In addition, Indonesia, Latin America, and the Caribbean are also considered to play an important role in the electric vehicle industry because they have abundant reserves of important minerals including nickel, copper, cobalt, and lithium.

"We must complement each other to become an important part of the global supply chain and contribute to accelerating the global energy transition," he said.

Another area that also received attention was the digital economy and creative economy. According to Pahala Mansury, the digital economy and creative economy sectors present many areas for collaboration including in the development of digital talent and digital infrastructure.(Andy Romdoni)