VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Screenshot - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi gives her welcome speech in the virtual meeting of Indonesian-Jamaican business players that was held to celebrate the 40-year diplomatic relationship of the two countries. (ANTARA/HO-Indonesian Embassy in Havana/KT) - 

Indonesia and Jamaica commemorated their 40 years of diplomatic relations by holding a virtual meeting between business players  of the two countries.

The virtual meeting, which was officially opened by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, brought together more than one hundred Indonesian and Jamaican business actors, according to Indonesian Embassy in Havana's statement received here on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith was also present in the commemoration event.

In her opening remarks, Marsudi said that during 40 years of Indonesia-Jamaica diplomatic relations, the two countries have established good trust and cooperation in a number of fields.

"This virtual business meeting will bring the closeness of the business community of Indonesia and Jamaica to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries," she explained.

Meanwhile, Smith highlighted that since the establishment of the Jamaica-Indonesia Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in 1996, the two countries have worked together in the fields of agriculture, tourism and research.

"Jamaica looks forward to continuing to improve bilateral relations especially in the field of trade and investment with Indonesia," she added.

In the aspect of social service, Smith also praised some Indonesian nationals  for serving Jamaican people through the Missionaries for the Poor in Kingston. Currently, she said, there are 20 Indonesian missionaries living in Jamaica.

On the same occasion, Indonesian Ambassador to Cuba and Jamaica Nana Yuliana said that Jamaica is one of Indonesia's important trade partners in the Caribbean region, as shown in Indonesia's trade volumes to Jamaica that were surplus in 2020 and 2021.

In 2020, Indonesia recorded a surplus of US$15.89 million (Rp228 billion) in its trade with Jamaica. Meanwhile, in  the period of January-September 2021, Indonesia's  trade surplus with Jamaica was US$11.81 million (Rp169 billion).

"Hopefully, the  value of Indonesia-Jamaica  trade continues to increase and be equal with the help of a good commitment both from the Indonesian Honorary Consul and cooperation in some excellent sectors including sports and education," Yuliana said//ANT

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs. (ANTARA/HO-Kemenko Perekonomian) - 

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has said Indonesia's G20 presidency helps boost global investor confidence and accelerate the national economic recovery.

"Economically, this will boost the confidence of global investors, accelerate the national economic recovery," Hartarto said in a statement here on Sunday.

During the presidency, Indonesia is expected to enjoy domestic consumption surge by Rp1.7 trillion, GDP increase by Rp7.47 trillion, and involvement of some 33 thousand workers in various industrial sectors.

In addition to providing benefits for national economic recovery, Airlangga Hartarto also said that as the G20 President, Indonesia has an important role in bridging the diversity that exists in the G20 Forum.

Indonesia, which has a philosophy of deliberation and consensus, is expected to be able to bridge between various groups of countries, according to the minister.

"Indonesia and the world community are waiting for the Indonesian G20 Presidency to foresight, inclusive policies and take concrete steps beyond political narratives," he stated.

President Joko Widodo hoped to see the G20 as a platform for economic cooperation in three sectors, namely global health architecture, economic transformation through digitalization, and the transition to sustainable energy, he noted.

"We feel the benefits of digital technology in various sectors and of course we will continue to encourage sectors that can become new growth engines as the value of the digital economy itself," he said.

He expected input from all stakeholders, including experts and academics, to maximize the benefits of Indonesia's G20 Presidency, so that Indonesia is able to make new breakthroughs, including in the energy transition sector for all countries by promoting the adoption of affordable technology, co-financing mechanisms, and sustainable energy transition priorities.

"In this efforts, we will involve the participation of scientists and academics who are members of Think 20 and Science 20 and expected to contribute to the three fields, especially the energy transition," he said//ANT

A kid inspecting eel in Agam. (Antara photos/Yusrizal/my) - 

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry collaborates with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in sustainable management of eels on account of  the very low survival rate of their seeds.

"Fish resources in Indonesia, including diverse eels, need to be managed responsibly in order to ensure their sustainability and provide prosperity for the eel fishing community," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said in a press release received here on Sunday.

He explained that the application of conservation principles, and the involvement of stakeholders in the management of eel resources, were expected to ensure the sustainability of eel resources in Indonesia.

Currently, around 80 percent of the global eel consumption was sourced from cultivation, but the seeds still came from natural catches, he said.

In addition, the survival rate of eel seeds is very low, thus its commercialization could disrupt the stability of the eel population in the habitat.

This certainly threatens the national eel population, as it has happened in Japan and Europe. In Indonesia, one of the development areas for eel cultivation is Sukabumi District, West Java Province, on the Cimandiri River.

The development of eel cultivation by improving the survival rate of eels in the critical phase from seed to tiller is part of the collaboration between FAO, the ministry, and the Sukabumi District Government, through the iFish Project. The project, which received financial assistance from the Global Environment Fund, utilized Sukabumi's Tonjong Fish Seed Center as the location to demonstrate growth of small eels.

The head of the Fisheries Research Center, Yayan Hikmayani, stated that previous efforts have succeeded in increasing the survival rate of seeds by 60 percent.

"The higher the survival rate, the less seeds that need to be taken from nature, so that it can reduce pressure on the eel population," she said.

IFish project collaboration with FAO and Sukabumi District had been ongoing since 2018, she remarked. The main focus of the collaboration was to generate a policy from inland water biodiversity conservation principles through demonstrations and sustainable utilization, especially for eel species.

Head of Sukabumi District, Marwan Hamami, deemed Palabuhan Ratu Bay waters one of the strategic waterways for the eel seed route in southern Java. "With the abundant seed resources, Sukabumi District will develop a long-term program for the utilization and management of eel fisheries, and make Sukabumi District an icon of eel producer in Indonesia," Hamami said.

National Project Manager for the FAO-IFish project, Sudarsono, said that Sukabumi Government would work together with other stakeholders to continue the IFish project in 2022 to create several policies, such as regional regulations for Inland Fishery Management, and the Master Plan for Management of Eel Fisheries in Sukabumi District//ANT

Minister of Investment / Head of Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia. (ANTARA/Ade Irma Junida/KT) - 

Minister of Investment / Head of Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia has pointed out several implemented strategies to attract investment in electric car batteries in Indonesia.

In addition to boosting promotions and offering ease of licensing, BKPM has also been looking for options to acquire an electric car company from Germany.

"State-owned Enterprises (BUMN) will have IBC (Indonesia Battery Corporation), which is a company to handle the car and car battery ecosystem. Also, there is a plan to acquire the shares of a car factory in Germany,” Lahadalia told reporters in Nusa Dua, Bali on Sunday.

If the government cannot build the electric car factories up, then it must acquire them, he said.

Furthermore, he stressed that despite taking the acquisition measure, he ensured the price still has to be economical and the process must be transparent. 

He also explained that promotional endeavors are still carried out, including the publicity of the ease of investment licensing.

According to him, Indonesia holds 22-24 percent of the world's nickel reserves and it has the best quality.

He explained, the distance of Indonesian nickel mines is still considered close to the ports, so the cost of production is cheaper, according to him.

"A car's battery is made of nickel, manganese, cobalt, and lithium. Of those four, we do not have lithium. Nevertheless, that means 85 percent of a car battery's raw materials are (available) in our country. That is why everyone is waiting for us to export them, but we do not want to," he explained.

Lahadalia said, in following the national strategic plan, Indonesia must fully switch to electric vehicles by 2040.

Hence, that goal has begun to be bolstered since 2019 when the Indonesian government successfully appealed to Hyundai from South Korea to invest in Indonesia.

Not only South Korea, but the government is also targeting electric battery manufacturers and the world’s electric vehicle industry to invest in Indonesia. Investment commitments have come from CATL from China and Foxconn from Taiwan, he informed//ANT