VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The collaboration between Indonesia and Costa Rica in renewable energy development should be strengthened to build national energy independence and a sustainable economy, said Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Fadli Zon in a statement in Jakarta on Friday. 
He made the statement after meeting the Head of Mission of Costa Rica, Esteban Quiros, at the complex of the House of Representatives in Jakarta, Wednesday (29/5).

According to him, Costa Rica assessed that Indonesia was an important country, and as such, it wanted to strengthen relations with Indonesia across various fields, including the energy sector and the environment.

Costa Rica managed to implement clean and renewable energy as the country had succeeded in producing 98.53 percent of alternative energy sources that come from, among others, hydropower, wind and geothermal energy.

Zon said that Indonesia was also concerned over the issue of climate change and new and renewable energy, which were very important for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Executive Director of the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Fabby Tumiwa, earlier stated that the development of new and renewable energy (EBT) was still very slow even though Indonesia was rich in EBT resources.

Fabby said that throughout 2015-2018, the addition of capacity of the generator of new renewable energy was only 882 mega watts (MW). In fact, from 2010-2014, the capacity of the generator of new renewable energy could reach 2,615.7 MW.

If the effort continues until 2019, he estimates that the number will only increase by 300 MW. As a result, the maximum capacity is only 1,200 MW.

With the achievement of the new renewable energy portion in the energy mix at only 8 percent, the utilization of EBT is still very slow, even though according to the National Medium Term Development Plan, the current achievement should have reached 16 percent in order to reach the target of 23 percent by 2025.

The electrification ratio was estimated to increase to meet the target of 96 percent by the end of 2019.


However, existing regulations were actually considered to hinder the development of EBT, he continued.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) stated that the use of EBT requires capital of around 90 billion US dollars to reach the target of 23 percent in the national energy mix in 2025.

Indonesia has constantly driven the sales of medicines and medical devices in Africa's market and deepened penetration of pharmaceutical products in African nations, noted a written statement by Indonesia's Embassy in Pretoria, received in Jakarta, Friday.

"The African people's requirements of medical devices and medicines are high, but their access is yet limited. This offers a great opportunity for our medical products to continue to make inroads into the African market," Indonesian Ambassador to South Africa Salman Al-Farisi remarked.

Ambassador Al-Farisi made the statement at the opening of the Indonesian Pavilion at the Africa Health Exhibition held on May 28-30, 2019, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"The Indonesian branding must be strengthened, one of which is through our participation in this big exhibition," Ambassador Al-Farisi emphasized.

Four Indonesian companies participating in the exhibition were PT. Biofarma, PT. Dexa Medica, PT. Phapros, and CV. Kurniatama Lestari. The strategically located Indonesian Pavilion successfully attracted some visitors at the exhibition.

PT Biofarma, a vaccine and anti-sera manufacturer that has distributed its products in 40 African countries, carried vaccine samples, such as for measles, Hepatitis B, polio, and meningitis, to the exhibition.

Private company PT Dexa Medica also showcased its products, including cold medicine, children's immunity-booster, medicines for allergy and diabetes, as well as for bloating and nausea.

PT Phapros, the renowned pharmaceutical company that produces Antimo (antiemetic), promoted various medicines, including for treating tuberculosis, health supplements, and herbal medicines for hypertension.

In the meantime, a small and medium scale enterprise, CV. Kurniatama Lestari, promoted traditional health products comprising herbal tea, herbal coffee, and spa products, such as body scrubs and massage oils.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria successfully brought the Indonesian delegation to meet with the local authority, specifically the South African Health Products and Regulatory Authority or SAHPRA, and prospective partners -- distributors and pharmaceutical companies -- from South Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Botswana.

Not only marketing products, but the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria also worked with Indonesian business delegates to establish cooperation with local stakeholders, including through joint production, joint ventures, or joint research and development.

Medicines and medical devices from Indonesia have been well-known and have penetrated several countries in Africa. The Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria has constantly worked towards strengthening Indonesia's presence in the African market, one of which is by participating in some exhibitions.

Africa Health is the biggest health exhibition in the African continent that gathers various actors in the business of health, pharmaceutical, and health-care manufacturing.

The event has drawn over 10 thousand visitors and was attended by 560 exhibitors from 39 countries every year. Apart from Indonesia, some other nations including the United States, Germany, China, India, Austria, Japan, Turkey, and South Korea, also participated in the exhibition. 

Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto said Indonesia had held a general election (Election) in 2019 which was successful and smooth. The conducive situation also indicates that the wheels of the economy in Indonesia are still running normally and the social conditions of the people remain optimistic towards the nation's future towards an increasingly good direction.

"We have just completed the largest and most complex election in the world. All Indonesian people are knitting unity to build a nation together, "Minister of Industry said as a speaker at the Nikkei Forum in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday (30/5) local time.

The presence of Airlangga Hartarto represented the Government of Indonesia, which was originally scheduled to be Vice President Jusuf Kalla, but was unable to attend. The international meeting was attended by a number of political, economic and academic leaders from the Asian region with the theme of the 25th International Conference on Future of Asia. Airlangga said, support for President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) from political parties in parliament was more than 60 percent. In fact, it will be even stronger because it will get additional support. "It seems that there will be an additional 20 percent from other parliamentarians. They have also prepared to support Mr Jokowi's government going forward, "he said.

According to Airlangga, the great support for President Jokowi shows that Indonesia's public trust in the government is still very large. This also reflects that Indonesia is on the right track to achieve its development goals. "As we have seen, the results of this year's Election of President Jokowi won with a considerable margin, almost 12 percent," he said.

With these results, Airlangga assured participants at the Nikkei Forum that the second period of President Jokowi's administration would seek more policy reform. Moreover, his government will also get great support from the regional government and the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD).

"Politics in Indonesia do seem complex, but with this victory, the government will soon take the effort to implement pro-investment and pro-business policies," he explained.

The Minister of Industry also said, for the implementation of the pro-investment policy, the Government of Indonesia has sought a lot of fiscal incentives for investors. For example, what will soon be launched is super deductible tax, which is a fiscal incentive for companies that actively conduct research and development activities to generate innovation and be involved in vocational education programs.

"For that, come to Indonesia, because we also have a very large market. The potential for business and huge profits is very attractive for foreign investors who invest their capital in Indonesia," he added.

Second period focus

Airlangga added, in the second period of President Jokowi's administration he would focus more on the development of Human Resources (HR), especially in the industrial sector, after the first period focused on infrastructure development.

"Because we got a demographic bonus. Excellence with the large population of young people in the workforce, which consists of millennials and generation Z who are ready to lead in the digital economy era, "he said.

With this bonus demography, Indonesia has great aspirations to become one of the 10 countries that have the strongest economy in the world in 2030. In fact, in 2045 or to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Indonesian Independence, it is projected that its economic strength will be ranked 4th .

"To meet the demographic bonus and create competent human resources in the industrial sector, the Ministry of Industry (Ministry of Industry) has conducted several strategic programs, including link and match vocational education, 3in1 training, and polytechnic development in industrial areas," he explained.

Through the program, the prepared HR can directly work in various industrial sectors, so that the workforce is created in accordance with the needs of today's industry. This is in accordance with the implementation of the priority programs contained in the map of Making Indonesia 4.0. With stable political and security conditions and the development of competent human resources, Airlangga is optimistic that Indonesia's economy will be far better in the future, especially under President Jokowi's leadership, which will also have a positive impact on investors from various countries.

During his working visit to Japan, the Minister of Industry has conducted several important meetings with various large-scale companies from Sakura Country, including Sojitz Corporation, Nippon Steel, Fujitrans, SMBC, Toyota and others. (kemenperin)

The government is determined to accelerate the development of electric vehicles in Indonesia. One of the strategic steps, the Ministry of Industry seeks to socialize the regulatory readiness that will soon be published to the automotive industry in Japan.

"Regarding the potential implementation of the acceleration of the electric vehicle and PPnBM facilities being compiled by the government, we communicate with the automotive industry here," said Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto after meeting with the board of directors of Toyota Motor Corporation in Tokyo on Wednesday night (29/5 ) local time.

The Minister of Industry conveyed, the regulations that would be issued by the Indonesian government regarding electric vehicles, would later be given a two-year deadline or transition period. "Therefore, we hope that the automotive industry players in Japan can begin to realize it in 2021 or 2022," he said. On the same occasion, Deputy CEO of Toyota Corp. Susumu Matsuda said, in an effort to market electric vehicles, it would also focus on developing its technology in Indonesia. "This is to provide the main service to our consumers, according to the corporate culture, so that they are practically using electric vehicles," he said.

Toyota and Daihatsu will produce hybrid cars in Indonesia in 2022. Types include SUVs and MPVs. "We consider that both types will be more attractive to consumers in Indonesia. We are preparing for production, "Matsuda said.

Toyota gave an appreciation to the Ministry of Industry for the implementation of electric car studies with stakeholders including collaborating with universities. "The results of the study, that hybrid cars can reduce gasoline consumption by half. "This is one of the solutions that is quite realistic," he added.

Appreciate

Other important points from the results of this meeting, continued Airlangga, Toyota gave appreciation to the Indonesian Government which has successfully held the 2019 General Election and was able to maintain a conducive investment climate. "They also expressed their commitment to the development of the automotive industry in Indonesia," he said.  With the capabilities that Indonesia already has, according to the Minister of Industry, a number of global scale automotive manufacturers are planning to prepare for the launch of electric vehicles in Indonesia in the near future.

"In fact, with the policy that will be issued by the government, it is enough to compensate for the difference in prices between electric vehicles and existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles," he added.

The price difference is believed to be able to encourage some consumers to switch from previously using oil-fueled vehicles to electric vehicles. Because, there will be benefits for users of electric vehicles, especially the efficiency of gasoline consumption.

"Moreover, there is a hybrid car that saves 50 percent. In addition, there is ease of maintenance from electric-based vehicles, "he said.

The Minister of Industry also visited the EVE battery factory in Hamamatsu. From the visit, Airlangga saw that Indonesia had great potential in providing its raw materials. Because, Indonesia will have a factory that produces new energy materials from laterite nickel. The potential is for example through the investment of PT. QMB New Energy Materials in the Indonesian region of Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), Central Sulawesi, which is targeted to operate in mid-2020. The total investment invested is USD700 million and will generate foreign exchange worth USD800 million per year.

"The hydrometallurgy technology-based industrial smelter project will meet the needs of raw materials for second generation nickel cobalt lithium batteries which can be used for electric vehicles," he explained. (kemenperin)