VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The peak of the dry season in Indonesia is projected to occur in October 2023, causing extreme heat in some regions, according to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

During normal conditions, the dry season occurs from June to August, said Eddy Hermawan, a main researcher at the BRIN Center for Climate and Atmospheric Research, on Tuesday.

However, the El Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) phenomena caused a shift in the seasons, so the dry season lasted until October, he said.

"Currently, El Nino is positive and IOD is also positive. Both will peak around October 2023," Hermawan noted.

The two phenomena of sea surface water temperature oscillations --El Nino in the Pacific Ocean and IOD in the western Indian Ocean-- cause countries located on the equator, such as Indonesia, to feel quite massive impacts.

Several areas in Indonesia are projected to experience extreme hot temperatures, including Surabaya in East Java (43 degrees Celsius), Semarang in Central Java (40 degrees Celsius), and Jakarta (37 degrees Celsius), in mid-October 2023.

Hermawan explained that all the water vapor and rain clouds are currently being pulled towards the north and west, as the center of low pressure is in the Pacific Ocean and the west of the Indian Ocean, where El Nino and IOD occur.

Being influenced by both phenomena, Indonesia tends to experience prolonged dry seasons.

"I hope that October 2023 will be the end of the hot dry season. El Nino and IOD are predicted to enter the neutral phase at the end of February or early March 2024," he remarked.

Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that Cilacap in Central Java is an area currently experiencing extreme drought, as it has not rained for more than 60 days.

Areas experiencing extreme drought in Cilacap include the sub-districts of Majenang, Wanareja, Cimanggu, Cipari, and Karangpucung. Meanwhile, other areas are in the medium to very long category, or 11-60 days without rain.

(Antara News)

The Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is now among the world-class sports tourism destinations, Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Kartika Wirjoatmodjo has said.

"The Mandalika zone is in a very good stage. Most MotoGP fans can recognize Mandalika, and we are seeing an improvement in the flow of international and domestic tourists," he expounded at a MotoGP press conference here on Tuesday.

He said both domestic and foreign tourists now recognize Mandalika, which is located in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, due to its selection as the venue for the World Superbike and MotoGP events.

Other national and international sports events, such as the Shell Eco Marathon, the L'Etape cycling race, the TNI Marathon, and several water sports activities were also held at Mandalika.

In addition, the deputy minister said Mandalika has a number of marine tourism attractions such as stunning beaches, and it also offers underwater tourism.

He noted that the increasingly popular Mandalika SEZ is supported by good infrastructure, such as roads, transportation, hotels, and restaurants.

He said all stakeholders, including the government, tourism attraction management officials, investors, and locals, have supported efforts to boost the area's popularity.

"Hopefully, the MotoGP will be a catalyst to build sports tourism destinations and provide economic benefits for the community, especially in West Nusa Tenggara," he added.

On the same occasion, President Director of state-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Center (ITDC) Ari Respati said that his side is focusing on building Mandalika as a sports tourism destination through efforts such as holding the MotoGP Mandalika 2023 event.

"The MotoGP event in Mandalika turned out to be an icon and pride of the locals. This is proof of succeeding the government's mandate," he said.

He also emphasized that ITDC, as a part of the state-owned holding, InJourney, is developing Mandalika in a sustainable manner.

(Antara News)

Jakarta - Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo called on the Spanish Government to open market access for Indonesia's horticultural products.

"We propose to immediately form a joint task force to formulate concrete steps to increase the added value and competitiveness of Indonesian horticultural products to dominate the global market," Limpo noted in a statement received here on Tuesday.

In a bilateral meeting with Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Luis Planas Puchades, Minister Limpo proposed to form a joint task force between the two countries to support Indonesian agricultural products entering Spain's market.

He believes that Indonesia and Spain can forge cooperation in numerous fields, such as in facing the global crisis caused by climate change, global geopolitical pressures, and post-pandemic economic recovery.

Limpo is also upbeat that the Spanish government would serve as a gateway for Indonesia's leading agricultural commodities to enter the European Union market.

He guaranteed that Indonesian flagship agricultural products meet the quality standards and sustainability principles set by the European Commission.

"Especially palm oil, cocoa, spices, and tropical fruits. I hope that Minister (Puchades) can help us convince various stakeholders," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Puchades welcomed the potential collaboration between Indonesia and Spain, considering that agriculture is a key sector that determines the global economic balance.

Spain is the fourth-largest agricultural exporter in Europe and seventh-largest in the world. The country applies technologies, such as seawater desalination and deep water wells, to support the development of agriculture in the desert areas in Almeria.

Puchades noted that technologies have been adopted in the Middle East to support agriculture in deserts.

Moreover, the two ministers agreed to intensify cooperation in the application of greenhouse technology, smart farming, and integrated pest control.

The duo also agreed to strengthen collaboration in the exchange of experts, capacity-building programs, and building a pilot project for technology transfer.

(Antara News)

Jakarta - Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is upbeat that digitalization of the regional financial transaction ecosystem can encourage effective and efficient regional financial management.

The president’s aspiration was conveyed by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin in his online welcome speech for the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) on the 2023 Regional Digitalization Acceleration and Expansion in Jakarta on Tuesday.

“I am conveying a warm greeting from the president to all Rakornas participants,” the vice president stated in the live stream aired by Bank Indonesia’s YouTube account in Jakarta.

“The president expressed profound hope in the implementation of regional financial ecosystem digitalization to support the construction of an effective and efficient regional financial management to increase the prosperity of Indonesian people,” he stated.

On the occasion, the vice president stated that Indonesia’s economic indicators still show great prospects so far despite uncertainty in the global economic situation.

The national economy grows over five percent for seven quarters in a row, and in the second quarter of 2023, it reaches 5.17 percent year-on-year, the vice president stated.

To maintain the momentum towards Developed Indonesia, the country needs to clock an economic growth of about six to seven percent. An effort to pursue that target can be made through digital technology reinforcement.

“Digital technology reinforcement demands readiness in every aspect, including the regional government. This is where an active role by every regional leader is needed, as the leader of Regional Digitalization Acceleration and Expansion Team (P2DD),” the vice president remarked.

He stated that digital-based regional financial transaction innovation will involve an increase in local own-source revenue, transparency, regional financial management accountability, and public service.

“All of these aspects will contribute to the acceleration and even a performance surge on regional development,” he stated.

Vice President Amin commended the result of the regional digitalization acceleration and expansion implementation.

One achievement from the implementation and expansion of digitalization is the good distribution of social assistance that fulfills the 6T principles of on time, on target, appropriate amount, appropriate quality, appropriate price, and appropriate administration.

(Antara News)