VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia is targeting the third position in the global footwear industry, by improving its current position as the fourth country after China, India, and Vietnam.

"This year, we are targeting to enter the big three, supported by government interventions and ease of doing business," Industry Ministry`s Small and Medium Industries for Fashion and Crafts director, E. Ratna Utarianingrum, stated during a Makers Talk held at the Prasetya Mulya University, South Tangerang, on Tuesday. According to her, 86 percent of the footwear in the world is produced by Asian countries, where China takes 80 percent of the total production, while the other 6 percent is produced by India, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

"Our market share is 3.3 percent globally," she remarked.

However, the total production of footwear in Indonesia differs slightly from Vietnam, which is at the third position. Indonesia`s footwear production has reached 1.1 billion pairs per year, of which 800 million pairs are for domestic use and the rest for export, with main destinations including Europe and the United States. Meanwhile, the total production of footwear in Vietnam has reached 1.2 billion pairs per year, and most of it is exported to various countries.

In addition to its superiority in terms of the total production, Vietnam is also benefited by its closer geographical position to China, which allows its easy access to the export market. Indonesia will continue to increase its capacity in footwear industry, from the design, management, and distribution, in order to be able to compete with Vietnam.

Through the Indonesian Footwear Industry Development Center (BPIPI) at the ministry, the government seeks to increase the skills of national shoe craftsmen, whose alumni have reached eight thousand people since its establishment in 2009. In addition to recognizing new shoe entrepreneurs, the center also provides coaching program for crafters to run their business and tackle various problems, Utarianingrum added.( antara ) 

The Agriculture Ministry has allocated Rp20 trillion (US$1.45 billion) for the development of post-harvest infrastructure to be managed by four state-owned enterprises in the food sector in order to absorb the farmers` production. Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman noted after a closed-door meeting on modernization of the rice industry in Jakarta on Tuesday that synergy among four state enterprises -- PT Pertani (Persero), PT Sang Hyang Seri (Persero), PT Pupuk Indonesia Pangan, and PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (Persero) -- is expected to cut short the supply chain of rice for farmers and reduce the price at the consumer level.

"Our aim is to accelerate the post-harvest process. We will focus on the provision of dryers, combine harvesters, rice milling units, and packaging units. Thus, farmers will be able to get a better price," Amran noted.

The four companies have been tasked with absorbing the farmers` unhusked rice in production areas in a bid to cut short the supply chain and lower the price. The development of post-harvest infrastructure will accelerate the process of absorbing rice, especially for state-owned enterprises that do not have the necessary infrastructure. President Director of PT Sang Hyang Seri Syaiful Bahri welcomed the plan to build post-harvest infrastructure worth Rp20 trillion.

"The meeting focused on the development of infrastructure, and it was in line with our needs, as we do not have the rice milling equipment, but we have dryers and warehouses," Syaiful explained.

However, further management of the post-harvest infrastructure will still be discussed with the Finance Ministry.

"The minister has agreed to authorize its management to state-owned enterprises in the food sector, but not to all of them. At least, Pertani or SHS (Sang Hyang Seri)," he remarked. ( antara )

President Joko Widodo on Tuesday gave directives to a number of middle and high-ranking military (TNI) and police (Polri) officers to maintain neutrality in the current year of politics.
"We also have a commitment that the military and police would support the neutrality of government policy," Air Force Deputy Chief Rear Marshal Wieko Syofyan stated, after the briefing at the Presidential Palace here, on Tuesday.

President Joko Widodo reminded the role of TNI and Polri as law enforcers in the regional head, legislative, and presidential elections.

During the closed door meeting, the president received high-ranking TNI and police officers, accompanied by the Minister of State Secretary Pratikno.

In the meantime, Military (TNI) commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and Police Chief General Tito Karnavian reiterated the neutrality of TNI and police late last month in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, with regard to elections that will soon be held in the country.
"TNI and police members have no voting rights. They stand above all groups to assure security and order," Tjahjanto stated.

Tjahjanto, along with Karnavian, at a meeting with thousands of TNI and police members, advised their members to continue cooperation to create solidity or unity, citing the hard work to assure the security of regional elections in June this year and legislative as well as presidential elections next year.

Karnavian, on the occasion, praised the unity that has been developed so far between the TNI and the police.

He noted that it was the basic capital needed to preserve security in the province not only for the elections but also for the daily lives of the people.

"We are all serving the nation and the state, and so we must unite," he remarked.
Thousands of soldiers and police officers from across East Kalimantan gathered at the meeting to listen to the directives from their chiefs. (antara)