VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Better nutrition for millions of Indonesian children and modernized irrigation systems for hundreds of thousands of Indonesian farming families are the key goals of the two new loans approved by the World Bank.

"We welcome the Government of Indonesia`s significant investments in infrastructure and in human capital, both of which are crucial to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty. If the country invests on these two priorities now, its future will be more promising," World Bank Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Rodrigo A. Chaves, said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The US$400 million loan Investing in Nutrition and Early Years Program seeks to reduce stunting by increasing access for pregnant mothers and children under two years old to key services from health and nutrition to education and sanitation.

"World Bank financing will be complemented by crucial knowledge, including best practices and lessons learned from around the world, which will help make efforts to reduce stunting more effectively," he remarked.

This loan, which will link disbursements to specific results, will support the country’s $14.6 billion National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention that aims to benefit 48 million pregnant mothers and children under two years old in the next four years.

In the entire country, the program will also benefit from a $20 million grant from the Global Financing Facility, a multi-stakeholder partnership that helps countries tackle the greatest health and nutrition issues affecting women, children, and adolescents.

The $250 million loan financing the Strategic Irrigation Modernization and Urgent Rehabilitation Project will benefit around 887 thousand farming households through a more reliable and climate-resilient irrigation system.

This financing is part of an ongoing National Reform Agenda that focuses on decentralization, democratization, and modernization and is based on the principles of participatory irrigation management.

This irrigation project is co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, with a $250 million loan.

Stunting is one of the most urgent challenges in Indonesia and a top priority for the government. More than one out of every three Indonesian children under five years of age, which is almost nine million children, are stunted; two out of three don not complete the full package of immunizations in their first and second year; and iron supplementation and deworming are also low, which is at 33 and 26 percent, respectively.

In Indonesia, a country highly vulnerable to climate change effects, 60 percent of the poor -- those who earn less than $1.25 per day -- rely on agriculture for their income.

Therefore, improved irrigation in agriculture is critical to enhance food security in the country.

The new irrigation project will focus on rehabilitation and modernization of drainage systems in nearly 300 thousand hectares and will support the overall project management and implementation, which is focused on increased accountability, transparency, and cost-effectiveness.

The World Bank’s support to Indonesia’s nutrition sector and irrigation is an important component of the World Bank Group`s Country Partnership Framework for Indonesia, which focuses on government priorities for transformational development impact. (ANTARA)

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Indonesia Valiollah Mohammadi on Tuesday in Jakarta encouraged the enhancement of cooperative relations between Indonesia and Iran through the cultural sector. It was delivered when he officially opened the Iran Cultural Festival in Jakarta. The Iranian Cultural Festival is held for 3 (three) days from 26 to 28 June 2018. Ambassador Valiollah Mohammadi hopes that the Iranian Cultural Festival can be a means of enhancing good relations between Indonesia and Iran through cultural channels.

“With the goal of developing cultural relations and mutual understanding between the two countries and hopes that the Iranian arts can be useful as a bridge in creating more cultural understanding and strengthening friendship between the two brotherly and Muslim nations of Iran and Indonesia,” said Valiollah Mohammadi.

During the 2018 Iran Cultural Festival, visitors can learn Iranian culture through new ways, namely the screening of Iranian films and mini exhibitions of typical Iranian carpets and crafts. The 2018 Iranian Culture Festival features a screening of 3 (three) films entitled Bodyguard, Crazy Castle and Where Are My Shoes. All three are films that have won numerous International awards. Meanwhile, the exhibition of carpets and handicrafts or Iran can be visited from June 20, 2018 to June 30, 2018. The carpets and handicrafts consist of various Iranian shades, fabrics and artwork. (VOI/ndy/DP)

Indonesian Trade Ministry held trade mission to several countries in the world to raise Indonesia’s export value and food commodities. Director General of National Export of Indonesian Trade Ministry, Arlinda said on the side line of the social gathering in Jakarta recently that the Indonesian trade mission has achieved great success in Egypt.

“Egypt has big potential of black coffee lover. So when we had a trade mission to Egypt there are about 175 million US Dollar which is 80percent spent for coffee.  For food and beverages the tariff is so high in Egypt but the country affected zero tariff for Coffee and palm oil.  Our market is remarkable there especially for coffee and palm oil,” said Arlinda.

Arlinda added that on the next trade mission they will go to Kenya that has great potential to Indonesia in promoting food commodity. The Trade Ministry also begin to penetrate Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Turkey markets whereas food commodity will be promoted continuously to increase Indonesia’s export value. (VOI/NK/NT)

Japan as one of Indonesian strategic partners has made effort to increase its investment value in Indonesia. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, Retno Marsudi, after bilateral meeting with Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister, Taro Kono, in Jakarta on Monday (25/6) said one of the efforts, is to make Indonesia as production basisor a place for Japanese manufacturing products which are addressed to the third market including ASEAN member countries.

“On investment, Japan investment in Indonesia reached US Dollar 5 billion in 2017, also the second biggest investor in Indonesia in 2017. Our discussion today, therefore stressed on how to further strengthen this positive momentum, working toward making Indonesia as the production base for Japanese manufacturing products for the third market, including ASEAN,” said Taro Kono.

Minister Retno Marsudi further said that to implement the desire, negotiation of the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement must be resolved immediately for mutual benefit cooperation for the two countries will run on time, where the two countries celebrate the 60th Indonesia-Japan  diplomatic relations. Japan is the second biggest investor in Indonesia with its investment worth 5 billion US dollars in 2017. The total value of trade between the two countries rose 13.54 percent compared to 2016. (VOI/Rezha/trs.Yati/NT)