Day: November 16, 2021

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State expenditure grew 0.8 percent to Rp2,058 trillion in October

State expenditure during the January-October 2021 period reached Rp2,058.9 trillion (US$144.93 billion), or a 0.8-percent growth, from Rp2,041.8 (US$143.72 billion) recorded during the corresponding period in 2020, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated.

“We have endeavored to control spending without foregoing the need to handle COVID-19 that remains an important issue,” Indrawati noted at the 2021 CEO Networking event here on Tuesday.

According to the minister, spending had reached 74.9 percent of the state budget target set at Rp2,750 trillion.

The state expenditure comprised central government spending at Rp1,416.2 trillion, or a growth of 5.4 percent (yoy), and transfer to regional governments and village fund (TKDD) at Rp642.6 trillion, or a contraction of 7.9 percent.

Realization of the central government spending had reached 72.5 percent of its target set at Rp1,954.5 trillion, while the TKDD spending realization reached 80.8 percent of the Rp795.5-trillion target.

The central government’s expenditure comprised Rp833.1 trillion spending for ministries and institutions that clocked a 14.8-percent growth and Rp583.1 trillion for non-ministries and institutions recording a growth of 5.7 percent.

“Expenditure in the health sector is very high or even jumped from the previous spending. We also maintain high expenditure for social assistance, so that economic recovery can run smoothly,” Indrawati stated.

The realization of TKDD comprised transfer to the regional government at Rp585.3 trillion, with a contraction of 8.2 percent, and transfer to village funds at Rp57.3 trillion, contracting 5.2 percent.

Source: Antara News

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Involve forestry sector to achieve net-zero emissions: researcher

Indonesia can achieve net-zero emissions only with the involvement of the forestry and land-use sectors, environmental economics research head at University of Indonesia’s Institute for Economic and Social Research, Alin Halimatussadiah, has said.

“It is impossible to achieve net-zero emissions if the forestry and land-use sectors are not properly regulated because if the sector is not improving despite maximum effort on our energy sector, the net-zero emissions goal would not be achieved,” she affirmed during a webinar on Indonesia’s biofuel policy, accessed from Jakarta on Tuesday.

The achievement of the B50 biodiesel goal must be done carefully to prevent a crude palm oil supply deficit that might induce the palm oil industry to expand plantations that could damage more forests, the researcher said.

The government and industry actors could increase palm oil production by rejuvenating existing palm plantations and targeting to cover around 180 thousand hectares of palm plantations every year, she added.

“We are currently engaged in a study to reuse cooking oil used by the restaurant industry as bio-diesel compound,” Halimatussadiah informed.

Maximizing palm oil supply from existing plantations without sacrificing natural forests has become more urgent, as the government is targeting 46-percent national biofuel utilization by 2050, she said.

Apart from boosting palm oil production, the government must also encourage more research on biofuel compound alternatives besides palm oil, Halimatussadiah added.

“Utilizing bio-fuel is a must to achieve zero carbon emissions because not all transportation modes can be converted to electric,” she explained.

The government must also commit to achieving zero deforestation by 2030 to complement the country’s mission to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 and contribute to the global effort for tackling the climate crisis, she added.

Source: Antara News

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Aceh SAR team evacuates Filipino from Liberian-flagged cargo ship

The Banda Aceh SAR team evacuated a Filipino crew member of a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, MT Ivestos X, after he developed health issues.

KN Kresna 232 SAR boat captain Supriadi informed that Banda Aceh SAR Office head Budiono instructed his boat to evacuate the seaman.

“The evacuation process involved officers from the customs and excise office, port quarantine office, and other offices necessary for such evacuation. The evacuation process took place in the Bay of Bengal, with the exact point lying between the Besar Island in Aceh Besar and Weh Island in Sabang city,” he said.

The evacuation point was located 8 nautical miles off Ulee Lheue Port, Banda Aceh, he added.

The authority received a request from the captain of MT Ivestos X to evacuate a crew member, identified as Joseph Rey G Boston, a Philippine national, after he developed health issues, including hypertension, Supriadi informed.

The Liberian-flagged cargo ship, which departed from Zhousan Port in China, was headed for Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, he added.

“The evacuation was conducted smoothly with no issue, the weather and sea waves during the evacuation were also in fair condition. Health protocol was enforced during the evacuation process to prevent the COVID-19 infection,” Supriadi informed.

Meanwhile, the port health office doctor, Azizah Desvina, confirmed the evacuated seaman had undergone an antigen test to ensure he was COVID-19 negative before being allowed to board KN Kresna 232, which took him to a health facility in Aceh.

The port health office also performed an initial health examination on Boston, and the seaman was diagnosed with headache, nausea, and abnormal blood pressure, she informed.

“The initial examination diagnosed Boston with hypertension, and we evacuated him to Zainoel Abidin Regional Hospital in Banda Aceh for further treatment,” Desvina said.

Source: Antara News

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