VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

3 Indonesian fashion brands participated in the pop up store at L'Exception, a well-known concept store in the Forum des Halles area, central Paris, to be exact. Two of the fashion brands have routinely exhibited their work in the Paris Fashion Week series, the SOE Jakarta brand and WilsenWillim, but for the first time explored their participation in the pop up store in Paris for 10 days from 14-23 June 2019.

"This is a very good opportunity to see interest in fashion design from Indonesia not only in the local community of Paris but also in foreigners, given the location of this pop up store in the center of tourists," said Diaz, lead designer WilsenWillem. SOE Jakarta, is optimistic that its design is able to meet the current trend of sustainable and ethical fashion and states that "we always involve handweavers from various regions in Indonesia for the development of materials used".

In addition to these 2 designers, there are also 1 Indonesian brand specifically to hold workshops on making accessories from leather, namely Kaula Leatherworks which will take place on 26-29 June 2019.

The implementation of the pop up store was organized by a fashion agency in Paris called Rendezvoo which raised the theme of French Kiss Asia, involving 7 countries namely Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, and France.

The opening program was packaged in the cocktail concept, which took place June 13, 2019 at L'Exception. About 300 French buyers, designers, actors and journalists present were presented with various Indonesian snacks and drinks. In addition there are also Indonesian music that accompanies the festive atmosphere of the event. Also present were Ms. Nur Indah Sari, wife of the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Paris, who wore Indonesian batik. Indonesia's Trade Attache, Megawati, revealed that the existence of snacks and Indonesian music aimed to create an Indonesian atmosphere, so that the invitees were more comfortable seeing the work of Indonesian designers.

French needs for fashion products are quite large with a trend of increasing demand by 6.16% during the 2016-2018 period, especially for apparel products classified as HS 62 and 61 (Articles of apparel and clothing accessories). This is in line with Indonesia's ability to export the HS product group to France with the trend of an increase in exports of 6.04% over the same period, and a 4.58% export growth in the HS product code from USD 90,556,635 in 2017 to USD 94,705,127 in 2018. (Source: Indonesian Embassy in Paris)

The groundbreaking of PT Ceria Nugraha Indotama (CNI) ferronickel smelter in Wolo Sub-district, Kolaka District, Southeast Sulawesi, was conducted by Energy and Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Arcandra Tahar and Administrative and Bureaucratic Reforms Minister Syafruddin.

PT CNI smelter has the capacity of processing nickel with 5 million tons of ore and 230,000 tons of ferronickel output with 22 percent of nickel content - 24 percent per year, according to data available at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry received by Antara in Jakarta on Sunday.

The smelter was built using rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF) technology. Electricity requirements for smelter operations are estimated to reach 350 MW.

In his remarks Arcandra stated that natural resources play an important role in supporting national development. Even so, the principle to utilize natural resources must be based on Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, which is controlled by the state and as much as possible for the prosperity of the people.

Interpretation of being controlled by the state, Arcandra said, is that natural resources are managed by Indonesians using domestic-developed technology and domestic funding.

"In accordance with the mandate of the law, we want this nickel to be processed (domestically) and to extend the processing chain so that it can produce added value," Arcandra noted.

The construction of a purification facility or smelter is an implementation of the policy of increasing mineral added value as mandated in Law No. 4 of 2009 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining.

The groundbreaking smelter is also a commitment of the government to further encouraging mining businesses in support of the downstreaming acceleration in the mining sector.

"This is what we want (the construction of a smelter) so that it can produce value-added effects that are greater than just selling raw materials," Arcandra said.

The smelter is targeted to start operating by the end of 2021.

"The construction of the main infrastructure and support for the ferronickel smelter is targeted for completion in December 2021 with a total investment value of Rp14.4 trillion," said PT CNI President Director Derian Sakmiwata.

The construction of this smelter will continue to be overseen by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry by monitoring development progress regularly every six months and also the availability of reserves of nickel ore for the operation of refining facilities.

With the construction of refining facilities in Southeast Sulawesi province, it is expected to be a driving force for the regional economy, especially in Kolaka District and its surroundings. (ant)

Robotic automation products or automation machines driven by the nation's robots competed in the Mexican market, with a high level of interest among enthusiasts at the ExpoPack Exhibition in Guadalajara City, Mexico, June 11-13, 2019. 

Products of particular interest to local food and beverage entrepreneurs comprised linear liquid filling and wide hygiene conveyers that are made to order, according to written information from the Indonesian Embassy in Mexico City on Saturday.

Three Indonesian firms -- PT. The Packaging Integra Center (PIC), PT Prima Makmur Rotokemindo (PMR), and Charta Global (a subsidiary of Asia Pulp & Paper / APP) -- participated in the annual international exhibition on innovation in the largest processing and packaging sector in Latin America.

It is PT. PIC's second time at ExpoPack 2019 after taking part in a similar exhibition in Mexico City last year.

PIC has several clients in Mexico and is finalizing business contracts with companies in Tijuana.

In the meantime, PT. PMR, with a daily plastic packaging production capacity of 1.5 million meters, took part in this exhibition, with the aim of finding partners, especially producers of cheese or frozen pizza wherein PMR is able to produce packaging for both products.

Companies that already have domestic customers packing instant noodles, sweets, snacks, coffee, biscuits, and paper products have established business with the largest instant noodle company in the United States, Maruchan, whose products dominate the Mexican market.

The APP, which first participated in ExpoPack, carries the concept of paper-based packaging products. Supplier of APP paper, Proveedora Papelera Kino, also presented some environment-friendly products, such as the Biodegradable Bio-Natura Cups biodegradable container, that have been marketed.

"I am proud that Indonesian businessmen have dared to explore alternative markets in Latin America. I believe our products of good quality are capable of competing with similar ones from other countries in the region," Ambassador Cheppy emphasized.

ExpoPack brings together industry players in the fields of packaging and processing various variants of the manufacturing industry, such as food and beverages, cosmetics, chemicals, automotives, container manufacturing, electronics, pharmaceuticals, candy, bread, graphic arts, and textiles.

ExpoPack 2019 is targeting to attract 16 thousand potential buyers, especially from Latin America, the United States, and Canada. Some 700 company stands showcased products with the latest technology that are environment-friendly.  

Various Indonesian batik clothing and fabrics featured at the Indonesian Pavilion at the 2019 Apparel Textile and Footwear (ATF) Trade Exhibition in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 12-14, 2019, captivated the South African visitors.

"Batik has long been recognized by the people of South Africa. We admit that our presence here is yet limited, but we do believe that our high-quality fabrics and batik products have vast potential to be further marketed," Indonesian Consul General in Cape Town Krishna Adi Poetranto said as noted in a press release issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria and received in Jakarta on Saturday.

Batik yet again succeeded in drawing the attention of foreign visitors to the Cape Town International Convention Center, where the three-day ATF exhibition will be held.  

The “Wastra Nusantara” sequence at the fashion show on the second day of the exhibition was enlivened by the latest collection of batik designers and entrepreneurs from Lampung, Pekalongan, and Bandung.

At the exhibition, the Indonesian showcase was replete with contrasting colors but appeared harmonious, connected by rich patterns and textures symbolizing the archipelago. Clothing and accessories, worn by local models sashaying the long runways in the middle of the exhibition hall, appeared quite alluring.

Batik Siger, with experience in showcasing its collections in various countries, presented clothing lines for men and women, with a typical Siger style of Lampung Province, at this exhibition.

The uniqueness of the Batik Siger business model, especially its empowerment of housewives and persons with disabilities through involvement in their business processes, was the reason behind the Indonesian government bestowing the Upakarti award on this company in 2014.

Lovely Zia from Bandung displayed contemporary batik clothing, including patchwork skirts, shirts, dresses, and outer wear for both genders. Aruni Batik Pekalongan is showcasing batik clothing for men and batik fabric, while Annie.B Cape Town is featuring Balinese fabrics, silver jewelry, accessories, and rattan bags.

ATF is the largest annual exhibition of textiles, apparel, and footwear in Africa, which annually attracts some two thousand visitors and at least 500 exhibitors from various countries.

Through the ATF exhibition, the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria, Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town, and the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) in Johannesburg have collaborated to popularize and market batik in a more systematic way in African markets.

Indonesian Batik that was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009 is expected to go global and drive the exports of small and medium industries. Through the exhibition, the Indonesian government has attempted to introduce Indonesian textile businessmen to their South African counterparts to unveil further business opportunities.

According to the Ministry of Industry, the export value of woven and batik commodities had reached US$53.3 million in 2018, with some main export destination nations comprising Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The National Economic and Industrial Committee (KEIN) remarked that the performance growth of the textile and clothing industry had increased, with the figure crossing double digits last year. Hence, the government has extended full support to the textile industry sector owing to its labor intensive nature and the dominance of domestic use of raw materials. (ant)