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Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi inaugurated Gatot Subroto Airport in Waykanan District, Lampung Province, into a commercial airport and opened Waykanan -Jakarta flight route on Saturday.

"Right now, Lampung has two commercial airports. They are Radin Inten II Airport and Gatot Subroto Airport.. Hopefully, (the presence of the two airports) will spur regional economic growth," he said.

After being inaugurated, the airport will serve Waykanan-Jakarta and Waykanan-Palembang (South Sumatra).flight routes, he said.

It is time to turn Gatot Subroto Airport into a commercial airport since it is located near the three districts of North Lampung, West Lampung and Waykanan in Lampung Province and the three districts of East Ogan Komering Ulu, South Ogan Komering Ulu and Ogan Komering Ulu in South Sumatra Province.

"May these flights serve as a magnate for those wishing to travel by air because the travel will take shorter time," he said. (ant)

The Indonesian Embassy in Brussels has organised a dialogue on the palm oil issue at the European Parliament office with the theme, "Palm Oil Free: Facts, Fiction, and Misleading Claims", as part of its endeavor to promote Indonesia's sustainable palm oil.

As revealed in the embassy's press statement that ANTARA received in London on Saturday, the dialogue was held to gather different perspectives on the palm oil issue in Europe, and suggest a collaborative endeavor to promote the country's sustainable palm oil.

This event, which was held ahead of Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution's visit to Brussels, Belgium, from April 7 to April 8, 2019, was opened by member of the European Parliament Committee on Environment Alberto Cirio.

In addition to Cirio, the speakers at the dialogue were Imkje Tiesinga (European Palm Oil Alliance), Prof. Pietro Paganini (Competere.eu), Giacomo Bandini (For Free Choice Institute), Aude Mahy (Attorney-at-law, Loyens & Loeff Brussels), and Andi Sparringa (the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels).

Joined by a number of members and advisers of the European Parliament, the dialogue focused on facts, fiction, and misleading claims that have contributed to the proliferation of negative campaigns on the CPO in the EU member countries.

Cirio was quoted in the press statement as saying that the misleading claims over crude palm oil products had contributed to spreading misconceptions about the commodity among the EU community members.

However, according to the Indonesian Embassy's representative, Sparringa, the misleading claims on the CPO in Europe were not balanced with the positive developments in Indonesia with regard to promoting sustainable palm oil.

In fact, as equal partners, both Indonesia and EU share similar views over dealing with climate change. Therefore, the two parties need a partnership for sustainable palm oil based on the principles of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Meanwhile, a noted scholar of the John Cabott University, Prof. Pietro Paganini, opined that many negative claims over palm oil were scientifically baseless and created confusion among consumers, especially when they were linked to saturated fats and deforestation.

He referred to claims that suggested products that did not contain palm oil were better for health as marketing tricks.  

Tiesinga, who represented the European Palm Oil Alliance, argued that if the CPO products were boycotted in Europe, this move could further contribute to cases of deforestation because vegetable oil was likely to require more land.

The European Parliament's recent ban on the use of CPO for biofuels has become a hot issue in Indonesia.

Foreign Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi, during a meeting with her Dutch counterpart Stephanus Abraham Blok in the Hague, Friday, (Apr 5), reiterated the palm oil sector's role in helping Indonesia reduce its poverty rate.

During the bilateral meeting at the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands, Marsudi was unequivocal in voicing Indonesia's disappointment over the European Commission's adoption of the delegated act, Political Counselor at the Indonesian Embassy in the Hague Yuliana Bahar stated.

Responding to the adopted delegated act categorizing that "palm oil has generally higher (ILUC) emissions than any other feedstock for biodiesel", Minister Marsudi drew focus to the need for a balanced discussion regarding palm oil issues, Bahar noted.(ant)

PT Indonesia Power, one of the subsidiaries of PT PLN (the State-owned Electricity Company), will build a steam power plant in Bintang Mas village, Kubu Raya district, West Kalimantan province.

"We have met the Kubu Raya administration to talk about the construction plan of the Kalbar II steam power plant in Kubu Raya," Head of PT Indonesia Power's construction division Ari said here, Sunday.

The company hoped the administration and the local people, especially those who live near the construction site, would support the plan.

"We have delivered a presentation on the development plan of steam power plant to the secretary of the Kubu Raya administration. We hope we get a full support from the administration and people for our efforts to fulfill the electricity need in West Kalimantan, especially in Kubu Raya and Pontiakan city," Ari said.

He hoped that the expected steam power plant could increase the electrification  ratio in West Kalimantan, especially in Kubu Raya and Pontianak.

In addition, the West Kalimantan steam power plant is expected to reduce the electricity production cost as it is generated with charcoal.

"We are expecting support from the administration and people in order to make the development plan a success, and hope that the plant will start operation by 2023," Ari said.

Meanwhile, a Kubu Raya official, Yusran Anizam, said the administration supports the construction of the West Kalimantan steam power plant in Kubu Raya.

The administration will make an adjustment regarding the spatial management in the area.

"Thank God. We fully support the West Kalimantan steam power plant construction plan in Kubu Raya. After making a survey in a number of points, Bintan Mas village in Rasau Jaya sub district is finally selected as the location project. We will study the results of the survey  and make an adjustment to make it fit the Kubu Raya's spatial management," Yusran said. (ant)