VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Founder and Director of the Ubud Food Festival Janet DeNeefe (third from left) at the 2024 Ubud Food Festival in Gianyar, Bali, on May 30, 2024. (Photo by: ANTARA/Luh Putu Anggreny/wsj).

VOINews, Jakarta: Food lovers from near and far gathered at the 2024 Ubud Food Festival (UFF), drawing culinary aficionados, both local and international, to witness a dazzling array of local and global gastronomic talents in action.

As reported by Antara,This year's UFF, themed "Take it to the Streets," was an exploration of the flavors of street food in Indonesia, where every bite reflected the rich tradition, innovation, and sheer happiness derived from food.

Foodies at the festival were spoilt for choice in terms of the plethora of Indonesian street food and had the opportunity to meet the finest culinary figures of Asia.

The 2024 Ubud Food Festival provided a space for business owners and culinary brands, both local and foreign, to promote their products to culinary lovers and visitors.

At the event, local and global culinary brands associated themselves with top chefs, restaurant owners, academics, and culinary entrepreneurs, creating a colorful culinary collaboration.

UFF founder and director Janet DeNeefe said she was happy to invite local and foreign visitors to experience the richness of Indonesian cuisine, which ranged from traditional to new-fangled culinary creations.

Visitors could savor Indonesian meatballs, Indonesian pancakes "martabak" that were nothing short of a feast for the taste buds, the legendary culinary delicacy of babi guling, and vegan snacks that can be consumed without guilt. The event was held to ensure satisfied faces and full bellies.

Food For Thought, an interesting discussion session to explore insights, became a platform for producers and consumers to share stories with one another, build networking, and realize a dynamic and sustainable culinary industry. This is in line with the UFF goal to celebrate street food in Indonesia and the richness of gastronomy.

Indonesian gastronomy has come under the spotlight owing to its plethora of foods prepared with abundant spices and are emblematic of cultural philosophies.

Entering its sixth year, the latest edition of the festival was held on May 31, 2024, which kicked off with a press conference and the opening of food booths. It was held until June 2, 2024, with a variety of programs that presented new and prominent culinary talents from Indonesia along with Asia's best chefs and Michelin star award recipients.

This year, the festival opened its doors as wide as possible by offering free admission. The festival officially opened at Titik Dua, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali, on Thursday, May 29, 2024, with the launch of an exhibition of mural works in collaboration with this year's festival committee.

The festival offered a platform for local culinary business players to promote themselves. Visitors could find a variety of local authentic specialties.

The 2024 UFF was an opportunity to introduce and praise the rich culinary arts of Indonesia. With a blend of culinary tourism, education, and community empowerment, the 2024 UFF was a must-visit agenda in Bali.//Antara/VOI

VOInews, Sukoharjo: SMKN 5 Sukoharjo, Central Java, has made a new breakthrough in the world of vocational education by producing Smart TVs and laptops. The two electronic products are handmade by students of the Network Engineering Expertise Programme. With the brand name Gen-IT, the teaching factory (Tefa) of SMKN 5 Sukoharjo Network Engineering Expertise Programme has received various orders. Not only that, the products from Gen-IT have also received a brand certificate in 2022.

Quoting the Ministry of Education and Culture's Vocational page, Ari Kurniawati, Head of SMKN 5 Sukoharjo, said that the existence of Tefa is very helpful for student competence. "The existence of Tefa in SMK is able to provide real experience. With work processes in accordance with industry SOPs, students are able to practice and learn directly,’ wrote Kemdikbud.

This was felt by Faiz Gilang Pratama, a grade XI student of the Network Engineering Expertise Programme. Having an interest at the beginning of entering SMK, he honed his skills so that one day he could compete in the world of work. ‘Learning at SMK provides facilities for me to learn many things, especially in the field of network engineering,’ said Faiz.

Faiz joined the production unit and was instructed to assemble various products, such as all-in-one laptops and smart TVs. They started assembling from start to finish, even installing windows and software. According to Faiz, with project-based learning, he feels free in choosing how to learn. This is in line with the Merdeka Belajar movement launched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek). ‘The project of making Gen-IT products is my way of learning because I like practical learning style,’ explained Faiz.

In the past year, there have been 12 orders for Gen-IT products from the community and fellow school members. Waluyo, teacher of the Autotronics Expertise Programme, explained that the quality of these products is also not just any because the SMK production unit works closely with the industry. "The materials come from CV Estima as a supplier and PT Supertone Indonesia.
Later, when CV Estima gets an order, the students of SMKN 5 Sukoharjo will assemble it,’ said Waluyo.

According to Waluyo, this is a form of collaboration between vocational schools and industry. In addition, it can also have a big impact on students because the material can be directly implemented so that it opens up insights to have an independent business after graduation. SMKN 5 Sukahorjo also often participates in exhibition activities, one of which was Business Matching 2024 at Solo Technopark last May.

Source: Kemdikbud RI

VOInews, Serang: Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan is encouraging micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to explore the export market so that Indonesian products are increasingly globalised. According to him, Indonesian products have good quality so that they can compete in the global market.This was conveyed by Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan during a dialogue with MSME players at the Batik Banten Mukarnas Center, Serang City, Banten, on Thursday (6/6).

The dialogue was attended by 120 MSME players with products including batik, wicker, and food and beverages. "We see that the products are good, the quality is not inferior to any other product. Now it is just a matter of how these MSME products have characteristics, quality, and good quality so that they can go global,’ said Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan.

Zulkifli explained that one of the efforts that can be taken by MSME players is by participating in the Trade Expo Indonesia which will be held on 9-12 October 2024 at ICE BSD, South Tangerang, Banten. The event will be attended by 180 new buyers from various countries, including the African region; South Asia, such as India, Pakistan; and the Middle East.

Furthermore, Minister Zulkifli Hasan said that the Ministry of Trade also has trade representatives abroad such as the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) and Trade Attaches (ATdag) who are always ready to help MSME players market products in the global market. One of them is through business matching to bring together MSME players with potential buyers. "We also have ITPCs and Trade Attaches in various countries. Through the facilitation of trade representatives, Indonesian products can be marketed. There must be a lot of interest,’ said Minister Zulkifli Hasan.

During this visit, the Minister also emphasised collaboration and work from various parties to promote Indonesian products. The goal is that Indonesian products are not only recognised domestically, but also internationally. "Of course this needs hard work and cooperation from all parties, both central and regional governments. MSMEs also take part in promoting and selling their products so that Indonesian products can be recognised domestically and abroad. It needs joint efforts and our hard work so that once again our products can go global,’ concluded the Trade Minister.

Source: Indonesian Ministry of Trade