VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministers appealed to regional economies to intensify efforts to promote food security through fostering sustainable food systems, incorporating technology, leveraging collaboration and trade, and boosting rural advancement.

At the fifth APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting in Puerto Varas, Chile, the ministers concurred on the importance of continuing cooperation to curtail practices that pose an impediment to achieving food security and enhance the integration of the region’s farmers and fishers into global value chains for food trade, according to a written statement issued by APEC Policy Partnership on Food Security and received Jakarta on Saturday.

"We have this great opportunity to shape the future of our food systems, essential for our people - the ultimate reason to be here and do what we do," according to Antonio Walker, Chile's agriculture minister, the host economy of APEC 2019.

At the meeting, APEC ministers held discussions on the Asia-Pacific region's significant challenges to cater to the needs of its growing population that has recorded an over one percent annual growth.

Millions of rural farmers and fishers, especially women, rely on food production and trade for income and survival, progressively apprehensive in the face of changing climate conditions and resulting habitat degradation.

The ministers pointed out that marine litter, including plastic pollution, affects food security owing to entanglement of ocean wildlife with waste. In the meantime, seafood consumption constitutes almost 22 percent of the region’s average per capita animal protein intake.

Hence, addressing food insecurity encompasses taking action to protect marine environments and tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

APEC ministers also sought greater action to broaden access to finance and markets for small producers and the adoption of more technologies to enhance productivity in food production.

"The introduction of new technologies in each space of agriculture and food production can lead to more resilient productivity and sustainability in the agriculture production sector as well as in agri-food chains, with higher levels of traceability and transparency," Minister Walker stated.

Walker also highlighted the significance of predictable and open trade regimes to foster food security. "Trade, underpinned by transparent and non-discriminatory rules, leads to a greater flow of goods and integration of producers into markets," he stated.

Salahuddin Ayub, the minister of agriculture and agro-based Industry of Malaysia -- the host economy of APEC 2020 -- stated that trade policies that impact economies must be transparent and non-protective, and supported by evidence-based rules and regulation.

APEC has encouraged the development and application of integrated policies for agriculture, aquaculture, and fisheries in a bid to enhance productivity, curb food loss and waste, and bolster the sustainable utilization of natural resources (ANTARA)

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Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi believes that the Krakatau Festival is a central event of Lampung Province to draw domestic and foreign tourists.

The 29th Krakatau Festival, held on Aug 21-25, 2019, was enlivened by an array of activities to endorse tourism in Indonesia, in general, and Lampung, in particular, Djunaidi stated here on Saturday.

The festival, which also aims to promote the culture and creative economy, is organized annually and included in the Tourism Ministry's 100 Wonderful Calendar of Events.

He affirmed that the tourism industry should aid in driving economic development in Lampung, boost public welfare, and preserve traditional culture.

Lampung’s strategic position practically makes the province as part of the bridge connecting Sumatra Island and Java Island, and it has abundant natural resources.

Other events supporting the Krakatau Festival comprise the Nusa Rasa culinary bazaar held on Aug 18-25, Sai Bumi Ruwa Jurai art and cultural show on Aug 23-24, Krakatau Expo on Aug 23-25, traditional children games on Aug 24, and Lampung Culture & Tapis Carnival showcasing traditional woven clothing on Aug 25.

The peak event was a boat trip approaching Mount Anak Krakatau in the waters of Sunda Strait on August 24, 2019.

A large part of the southern flank of Mount Anak Krakatau slid into the ocean in the evening of December 22, 2018, and triggered a tsunami that cause damage to houses along the coastal areas of the provinces of Lampung and Banten located around Sunda Strait. Anak Krakatau, situated between the islands of Java and Sumatra, had been undergoing a stuttering eruption since June 18, and an alert status was declared for it. The Sunda Strait tsunami claimed 430 lives. At least 1,495 people were injured, 159 people went missing, and 21,991 others displaced.

The Sunda Strait tsunami was the second major tsunami to have struck Indonesia last year following a deadly tsunami that was triggered by a powerful earthquake rocking Palu and several other districts in Central Sulawesi Province on September 28, 2018 (ANTARA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed a plan to visit Indonesia early 2020 at the invitation of President Joko Widodo. (Jokowi).

Erdogan confirmed the plan during a meeting with Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey Lalu Muhamad Iqbal. The meeting took place after Iqbal presented a letter of credence from President Jokowi at Kulliyesi Presidential Palace in Ankara on Friday (August 23, 2019).

"During a meeting in Osaka some time ago, my brother Widodo reminded me of the invitation he had extended to me to visit Jakarta. That's why I plan to visit (Jakarta) in the first quarter of 2020," President Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Indonesian Embassy in a written statement released on Saturday.

President Erdogan further asked Ambassador Iqbal to coordinate with his presidential spokesperson and advisers to set the exact date and prepare the programs of the visit President Jokowi last paid a state visit to Turkey in 2017.

Unlike most of other heads of state/government visiting Turkey, President Jokowi was welcomed by a herd of horsemen and soldiers wearing traditional army uniforms from the Ottoman Empire at the Turkish Presidential Palace, Beyaz Saray.

Meanwhile, President Erdogan last visited Jakarta in 2015. In addition to his planned visit to Jakarta, President Erdogan also discussed several bilateral issues with Ambassador Iqbal, including a plan to expand cooperation in the defense industry to become defense cooperation as well as efforts to conclude a free trade agreement and establish counter-terrorism cooperation (ANTARA)

Bali’s police urged Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officials to remind their fellow countrymen planning to visit the resort island to obey Indonesia's laws and regulations and respect local wisdom and values.

Speaking in connection with the DFAT officials' recent visit to the Bali police headquarters here on Saturday, this provincial police's deputy chief, Brig. Gen. I Wayan Sunartha, noted that the Australian visitors must also support Indonesia's war on addictive drugs.

The DFAT officials paid a visit to intensify their coordination with the Indonesian police in Bali Island to handle Australians embroiled in legal cases, including drug trade and usage as well as traffic violations.

Sunartha remarked that Australians visiting Bali were appealed to drive safely and abide by traffic rules during their stay in the resort island.

In securing domestic and foreign tourists, the Bali police dispatched its tourist police personnel to all tourism sites to offer immediate assistance to those encountering problems.

The tourist police personnel, who were well-versed in English language, are able to respond to the tourists' reports quickly, he stated.

Bali has become the most popular destination for Australian tourists for decades, but the Indonesian Tourism Ministry has continued to promote the archipelago's beyond Bali destinations.

Lake Toba, Wakatobi, Labuan Bajo Komodo Island, Borobudur Temple, and Raja Ampat are among the potential beyond Bali destinations.

CNN International has adjudged Raja Ampat and Labuan Bajo as the world's first and second-best snorkeling spots in 2015.

According to ANTARA, the Indonesian government has made various breakthroughs to attract more foreign tourists, including by applying a free-visa policy for select nations’ citizens keen on undertaking a social-cultural visit to Indonesia.

The social-cultural visit visa is valid for 60 days and can be extended to 4 x 30 days.
The Indonesian government has also made another breakthrough by revoking cabotage regulation for cruise ships at five major ports in the country: Belawan-Medan (North Sumatera), Tanjung Priok-Jakarta, Tanjung Perak-Surabaya (East Java), Benoa-Bali, Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar. (ANTARA)