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A screenshot of President Joko Widodo inaugurating a nickel ore processing and refining plant in Konawe district, Southeast Sulawesi, on Monday (December 27, 2021). (ANTARA PHOTOS/Indra Arief/my) - 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has inaugurated a nickel ore processing and refining plant in Konawe district, Southeast Sulawesi, which will have a production capacity of more than 1 million tons per year.

"Today, we see immediately, we will officiate a smelter that produces ferronickel. Imagine if we only export raw materials," he remarked at the inauguration on Monday, which was streamed on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel.

The President lauded PT. Gunbuster Nickel Industry for building the nickel smelter plant. He said that the added value of nickel produced from the smelter will be up to 14 times higher compared to its raw form.

He stressed that Indonesia will continue to try to stop the exports of raw materials by promoting the national downstream industry. After halting exports of nickel raw materials, Indonesia will next halt exports of bauxite raw materials, he informed.

"At the end of next year, I will have given a warm-up beforehand (by) stopping the (export of) raw materials for bauxite. Next year, we will cease (exporting) again, for other minerals and coal,” he said.

That way, industry players and investors will set up factories in Indonesia whether they like it or not, Widodo remarked. If downstreaming continues to be expedited, then Indonesia will get many benefits such as increased tax revenues, job creation, and also foreign exchange, he highlighted.

"So that we no longer export raw materials, which we have been doing for decades, which does not provide so much added value to the state," he said.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Cabinet Secretary Minister Pramono Anung, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, National Police chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and other officials also attended the inauguration//ANT

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (ANTARA/The Directorate General of Taxes's YouTube channel/pri/rst) - 

Tax revenues until December 26, 2021, had reached Rp 1,231.87 trillion, or 100.19 percent of the target mandated in the State-Budget (APBN) for the 2021 fiscal year, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

"Until December 26, 2021, the net tax revenue amounted to Rp1,231.87 trillion. This figure is equal to 100.19 percent of the target mandated in the 2021 APBN Fiscal Year of Rp1,229.6 trillion," Indrawati said in an official statement on Monday.

The minister also lauded and thanked the work of the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) for the achievement in 2021.

“Today is a historic day, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while the economy is still recovering, we are able to achieve 100-percent tax revenue. I express my gratitude and appreciation to DJP," she affirmed.

Indrawati remarked that the achievement of tax revenues in 2021 is a provision to fulfill the subsequent tasks of the Finance Ministry in future.

Furthermore, the DJP recorded that 138 Tax Service Offices (KPP) across Indonesia had exceeded the target of each KPP.

In addition, tax revenues in the seven Regional Offices (Kanwil) had also reached over 100 percent of the target set for each Regional Office.

The regional offices are the South Jakarta I DJP Regional Office, the Large Taxpayer DJP Regional Office, the Special Jakarta DJP Regional Office, the Central Sulawesi DJP Regional Office, the North Sulawesi DJP Regional Office, Gorontalo DJP Regional Office, and North Maluku DJP Regional Office.

The West Kalimantan DJP Regional Office, South and Central Kalimantan DJP Regional Offices, and North Jakarta DJP Regional Office were the other regional offices.

Director General of Taxes Suryo Utomo believes this success could not be separated from the participation of taxpayers and the hard work of over 46 thousand DJP employees to exceed the tax revenue target after 12 years.

However, Utomo noted that the euphoria regarding this success should not be excessive. In future, the challenge will be tougher since the APBN deficit exceeding three percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) is only permitted until 2022.

Concurrently, uncertainty triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom large. State revenues are also demanded to be bigger to return the APBN deficit in 2023 back to below three percent of the GDP.

"Hence, the DJP will continue to evaluate the performance in 2021 to prepare for a better output in 2022. We will continue our good performance and strategies in 2022 while replacing poor performance and strategies," he affirmed//ANT

Screenshot of BKKBN Secretary Tavip Agus Rayanto. (ANTARA/Hreeloita Dharma Shanti/rst) - 

The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) stated that the prevalence rate of stunting in children had declined to 24.4 percent by the end of 2021.

"Regarding the results of the 2021 Study on Indonesia's Nutritional Status (SSGI) calculation, we are grateful that the prevalence rate of stunting in 2021 had shown a decline as compared to 24.4 percent in 2019," BKKBN secretary Tavip Agus Rayanto stated here, Monday.

Rayanto noted that this figure had decreased as compared to Indonesia's stunting rate of 27.67 percent in 2019.

A decline in the stunting prevalence rates was achieved through various collaborations between ministries and institutions, good practices with neighboring countries, and the help from Indonesian citizens.

"The SSGI result reminds us that the rate of stunting reduction demanded by the government is 2.6 percent per year in order to achieve the 2024 target," he stated.

However, Rayanto emphasized that this figure is still far from the government-set target for stunting prevalence rate of 14 percent in 2024, as mandated in Presidential Regulation Number 72 of 2021 on the acceleration of stunting reduction.

In addition, families should be edified about family planning, the importance of fulfilling nutritional intake, and improving parenting skills. The government should also provide access to health services to lower cases of stunting in the country.

Rayanto has invited all parties to ensure that all programs, designed for teenagers, prospective brides, pregnant and lactating mothers, and toddlers, can run optimally.

"I would like to invite us all to formulate and implement data- and fact-based activity plans that must lead to the real convergence of target groups' families," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono noted that the nutritional status in Indonesia continues to improve with each passing year.

Harbuwono stated that the wasting rate in children fell to 7.1 percent after earlier being recorded at 7.4 percent in 2019.

In the case of overweight children, the figure also declined to 3.8 percent in 2021, from 4.5 percent in 2019.

Meanwhile, the percentage of underweight children increased, from 16.3 percent in 2019 to 17 percent in 2021.

Three regions with the lowest stunting prevalence rates were Yogyakarta, at 17.3 percent; Jakarta, 16.8 percent; and Bali, 10.9 percent.

“I would like to thank the three provinces for their efforts in reducing the prevalence rate of stunting below the national average of 24.4 percent," he added//ANT

Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Teten Masduki at the 2021 Dialogue of Entrepreneurial Innovation Competition Winners in Jakarta on Monday (December 27, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Kemenkop) - 

Cooperation with South Korea is important for Indonesian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to compete globally, Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Teten Masduki has said.

"Why? We (MSMEs) must begin to explore products based on creativity and technological innovation. South Korea is one of those (nations) that I think has very superior MSMEs that are included as a part of their national industrial supply chain," he highlighted at the 2021 Dialogue of Entrepreneurial Innovation Competition Winners on Monday.

The event was the result of collaborative efforts between the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry with the South Korea SMEs and Startups Ministry, he noted.

The cooperation built between Indonesia and South Korea will be beneficial for the development of MSMEs, especially for young entrepreneurs focusing on innovation, sustainability, and job creation, the minister said.

Indonesia has a wealth of potential natural and human resources and extraordinary, creative ideas, thus, it is not just a market country, he added.

The ministry is focusing on boosting the number of MSME players to reinforce the economic structure, he informed. To meet that end, it requires the development of innovation-driven enterprises that can become superior and sustainable high-growth enterprises, he said.

"We encourage business players to increase awareness of green economy that supports the Sustainable Development Goals with business principles—which implements the principles of people, profit, and planet," he added.

Masduki also said that his ministry is encouraging startups to support the development of MSMEs. Startups are expected to serve as a catalyst and motor for the advancement of national MSMEs, he remarked.

In addition, startups are expected to be aggregators or a bridge for micro-enterprises to help them advance further, he said.

To create impactful startups that push the national economy, the contribution of stakeholders is essential so that the startups can define the future of national MSMEs, Masduki added.

"I urge all stakeholders here to create an integrated ecosystem of upstream and downstream value chains on the economic scale," he said//ANT