VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) assessed that the increasingly widespread application of technology can attract the youth to work in the agriculture sector.

Head of the BRIN Food Crop Research Center, Yudhistira Nugraha, stated that digital technology and artificial intelligence-based technology make farming easier and more prestigious, so that farming is no longer considered a traditional job.

"The application of technology attracts the younger generation to engage more in the agricultural sector," Nugraha noted during a dialogue event on artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the agricultural sector monitored here on Monday.

One of the technologies applied in agriculture is drone that has brought significant transformation in the management of soil and land to boost plant productivity.

Drones have sensors, such as multispectral red edge cameras, which enable them to conduct real-time, accurate, and quick monitoring of plants and detect changes in plant conditions, such as lack of water or stress in plants, the dynamics of pest attacks, and even disease emergence.

Nugraha explained that through the information obtained by drones, farmers can take timely action, such as managing water provision that is more efficient, fertilization that is on target, targeted application of pesticides, and special treatment for certain plants.

In addition, drones can map out agricultural land in a high level of detail, thereby enabling better planning for planting, fertilizing, and maintenance.

Various benefits that the technology offers help all parties, not only farmers but also policymakers in increasing crop yields, reducing production costs, and contributing to agricultural sustainability.

He noted that several startups in the field of agriculture use drones to support cultivation.

He assessed that the integration of AI with drones and sensors has a significant impact on the process of monitoring, supervision, and decision-making that is smarter and more accurate.

Meanwhile, manager of research at drone service provider Quadron Teknologi Indonesia, Try Surya Harapan, stated that automation sensors in drones enable farmers to manage which plants must be sprayed.

"Drones can fly to precise coordinate points and then spray (plants)," he explained.

He remarked that the combination of drones and sensors can provide myriad benefits to farmers, such as for aerial photography, topography and land boundary surveys, soil health monitoring, livestock movement and counting, irrigation monitoring, pesticide spraying, and soil and water samples' collection. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan stated that the government, on Monday, will sign a regulation prohibiting social media platforms to facilitate social commerce.

Hasan explained that social media platforms are only allowed to promote goods or services though are prohibited from being the platform for trade transactions.

"Social (media platforms) can only facilitate the promotion of goods or services and cannot (facilitate) direct transaction and direct payments, (so) it can no longer be, it can only be promotional," he stated after a limited meeting chaired by the president at the Presidential Palace Complex here on Monday.

The minister remarked that like television, social or other digital media platforms can only be a place to promote products and not as platforms for transactions.

"As a digital platform, it should only serve as a platform for promotion," he stressed.

The new regulation to be signed on Monday afternoon is a revision to Ministerial Regulation No. 50 of 2020.

In the new regulation, Hasan said, the government strictly separates "social commerce" and "social media" platforms.

"They must be separated, so they will not master all of the algorithms, and this prevents the use of personal data for business purposes," he remarked.

The new regulation also stipulates the positive list of goods or goods that are allowed to be imported. He noted that one of the goods that cannot be imported, or on the negative list, is batik.

According to the minister, with the new regulation, imported goods must have the same requirements as domestic goods, such as halal certification for food products and permission from the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) for skin care or beauty products.

"Electronic goods must have the standards, so (imported goods) are treated the same as domestic products," he stated.

The regulation also prohibits the sale of imported goods priced below US$100. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Co-operatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the South Korean government, through the ASEM-SME Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC), held a workshop on green transformation for small businesses.

"SMEs must be brave to change and commit to sustainable business practices to increase competitiveness in domestic and global markets and contribute to environmental sustainability," the ministry's secretary, Arif Rahman Hakim, noted in a statement received here on Monday.

He explained that the workshop "Capacity Building Program for Green Transition of Indonesian SMEs" was held on September 18-22, 2023.

Some 30 selected SMEs from various regions in Indonesia participated in the program.

"The participants were given a deep understanding of green business transformation, ranging from policies, challenges, opportunities, potential market, and funding schemes, to green business trends at national and international levels," Hakim pointed out.

The workshop panel included experts from the government, private sector, an industry association, and an international organization, as well as speakers from South Korea, he remarked.

"The participants received intensive mentoring and the opportunity to explore cooperation with South Korean SMEs in terms of technology transfer and joint venture," he stated.

In addition, the top 10 SMEs in the workshop will get to visit South Korea in November 2023 and be accompanied by experts to deepen their insights on business transformation.

One of the top 10 participants, Adhitya Prayoga, the head of Strategic Services at Waste4Change, expressed his intent to collaborate with Korean SMEs.

"Especially in terms of technology transfer and potential joint business in the future," he stated.

The ASEIC was established in 2011 to promote cooperation in green growth in Europe and Asia, with an emphasis on enhancing eco-innovation of SMEs in both regions. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), along with several ministers, discussed issues concerning trade activities on online platforms, including social media platforms, such as TikTok, at a limited meeting held at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.

"(The meeting) was about trade on electronic systems. Yes, (including) TikTok," Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi remarked at the palace.

However, the minister did not divulge further details on the points discussed by the president and his ministers in the limited meeting.

Meanwhile, Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan explained that the limited meeting was conducted to discuss trade activities on digital platforms in a comprehensive manner.

"Yes, (the meeting discussed) digital (trade). The meeting was about e-commerce," Hasan stated.

Earlier, on Saturday (September 23), President Jokowi expressed his opinion regarding the negative effects resulting from trade activities conducted on social commerce platforms, such as TikTok Shop, which combine the functions and features of e-commerce and social media platforms that had been gaining popularity in Indonesia.

The head of state opined that the Chinese digital application should have continued to function as a mere social media platform and not as an online shopping platform like e-commerce since it harmed domestic businesses, especially micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"This (social commerce) has affected the production of MSMEs and (conventional) markets. It (TikTok) is supposed to be a social media (platform), not an economic media," he remarked after inspecting a road repair project in North Penajam Paser District, East Kalimantan.

Furthermore, President Jokowi noted that the government had prepared a regulation that aims to control trade activities conducted on social media platforms in order to control price competition and protect MSMEs and merchants in conventional markets.

"The regulation is still in the hands of the Trade Ministry. Every other thing is complete. We just need to wait for the Trade Ministry to approve (the regulation)," he pointed out.  (Antaranews)