VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Trade Ministry is expecting Indonesian businesspeople to increase their tea exports, because this commodity is widely favoured by the world's consumers due to its distinctive quality and aroma. Director of Export Product Development at the Ministry of Trade, Ari Satria in his written statement said on Friday that the target of the Trade Ministry is that there is an increase on the graph of Indonesian tea export even though it moves slowly but surely.

Ari added that in the export market, Indonesia is considered to have good quality tea and a distinctive aroma favoured by the global community. He asserted that to better utilize the export market potential of Indonesian tea, entrepreneurs should be able to prepare effective management for the creation of added-value and product innovation. Based on the data of the Ministry of Trade, tea export in 2017 increased with the value worth $117.96 million dollars, or an increase of 1.04 percent compared to 2016 which amounted to $1 16.75 million dollars. (Ant-Mar/Trans by Alika)

Presidential Chief of Staff, Moeldoko is reviewing the preparation of the Light Rail Transit -LRT for Palembang at PT Industri Kereta Api (INKA) Madiun, East Java. Two series of trains with six hoppers are completed and are currently in trial stage before being sent to Palembang next month.

Moeldoko accompanied by INKA President Director, Budi Noviantoro in his written statement on Friday said that the train is ready for next Augusts’ Asian Games. Moeldoko appreciated the persistence of INKA which can complete the work of LRT on time. INKA will send the trains of LRT to Palembang in stages by ship on 10 April until May 2018. (Kom-Mar/Trans by Alika)

Chairman of Indonesian National Scout, Adhiyaksa Dault invited Vice President Jusuf Kalla in Jakarta on Thursday 03/29) to attend the National Scout Camp. The event will be held on Sebatik Island, Nunukan district, North Kalimantan province starting on 2nd until 7^th of May, 2018. After meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Adhiyaksa Dault said to media that Vice President Jusuf Kalla welcomes positively the National Scout Camp. Adhiyaksa Dault perceived that this activity supports the government's program of mental revolution.

“To have mentally good citizens is not like building one day one night, but building from an early age. It is through the Boy Scout movement. So, if Mr. President says a mental revolution, we do it sincerely. Creating young generations is that they will really understand about Indonesia.”Adhiyaksa Dault said.

The national camp activity of Indonesian National Scout with the theme ‘state defending’ will be followed by hundreds of students of scout members from 34 provinces in Indonesia. This activity will be coordinated with the government of North Kalimantan and Nunukan Regency to ensure the smoothness of the event to be held on Sebatik Island which is the outer island bordering with Malaysia.(Rezha)

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would submit the result of its study on Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed train by the end of April, postponed from its initial schedule in March.

"The study conducted by the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BBPT) and JICA has entered its final stage. We hope that we could finalize the study in March and JICA could submit its study in April," the Director General of Railway of the Transportation Ministry,  Zulfikri said here on Tuesday.

He stated that the ministry would synchronize the results of the two studies, especially on investment value.

"Now, the amount is still changing, because it is not a small investment," he noted.

The ministry, according to Zulfikri, is still evaluating the plan to include foreign private firms in the project, in this case Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

"We are still sorting out the scheme we could offer, the construction, maintenance, or investment in facility, and its operation," he remarked.

However, the involvement of JBIC in the project would not change the initial cooperation scheme from government-to-government to business-to-business scheme.

"This is because the initiation from Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a G-to-G cooperation," he added.

The Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed train project would need a total investment of Rp60 trillion (US$4.4 billion), including Rp20 trillion ($1.5 billion) for construction of 900 level crossings. Both governments have agreed to use narrow railway (gauge 1,067 millimeters) and standard railway (gauge 1,431 millimeters) to adjust with the land characteristic in Java, which is already crowded. The high-speed train would cut short Jakarta-Surabaya travel time from 9 hours to 5.5 hours. ( antara )