Day: March 10, 2022

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno spoke of his side intending to promote several micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSME) products in Kubu Raya District, West Kalimantan, during the MotoGP World Championship at the Mandalika Circuit.

“As our commitment to helping promote MSME products, especially those engaged in the creative economy, we will bring several products from Kubu Raya to be promoted at the Mandalika Circuit during the MotoGP World Championship,” Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno stated in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Thursday.

The statement was conveyed in response to a request from the district government and business actors in Kubu Raya to the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy to help promote the products of business actors in the district.

“One of the products is woven baskets from craftsmen in Kubu Raya. We will bring the product to the Mandalika MotoGP championship, and we will also help promote some during the G20 event,” he stated.

To maximize the potential of mangrove tourism at the Teluk Berdiri, Kupah River, Kubu Raya Disrict, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy has offered several forms of assistance to maximize tourist visits at the tourist attraction.

The minister noted that Kubu Raya was a mangrove paradise, as the mangrove area was vast.

If mangrove tourism is optimized, the world’s eyes will be on Kubu Raya, he remarked.

“Let us plant mangroves as much as possible, so that Kubu Raya becomes the best oxygen factory in the world,” the minister affirmed.

Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Ministry’s Deputy for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Hanung Harimba, had earlier said his side will exhibit MSMEs’ superior products during the 2022 MotoGP series, Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara.

“The Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs has been mandated to make the most of international events to promote our MSMEs, especially during the MotoGP series in Mandalika,” Harimba noted.

In total, 1,256 MSMEs are facilitated by the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Bank Indonesia (BI), and the NTB Regional Government Cooperative and MSMEs Service.

The exhibition presented by the ministry will feature products of 14 provinces at two location points, both inside the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit.

At the first location, spanning an area of 1,200 square meters, superior MSME products will be displayed, starting from the automotive category, with 27 MSMEs; 38 MSMEs for merchandise and souvenirs; and five MSMEs, with health products featured.

The second location will feature 45 MSMEs in the food and beverage category, with an exhibition area of 100 square meters.

The ministry has also provided 300 MSMEs in the form of a planogram at the Lombok Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport and 10 food trucks at the Mandalika Beach Park.

Meanwhile, BI has readied 83 MSMEs in the Mandalika circuit, while the NTB Regional Government Cooperatives and MSMEs Service has prepared 45 MSMEs in the culinary category.

“The exhibition is also being held at 14 points outside the circuit,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi has predicted that 2022 will be a year full of challenges, especially compared to 2021, when Indonesia managed to sail through by setting a number of new economic records.

“In 2021, even though we were still in the midst of COVID-19, we were able to go through the difficult time. Most of the economic activity was declining, but we managed to get through it. Inflation was going well. Farmers’ exchange rate (NTP) has also increased well, ” Lutfi said during a virtual working meeting on Thursday.

However, 2022 may be the opposite of 2021, he said adding, the food price index from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has increased since February 2022.

“The index has increased by 140.7 points, or an increase of 20.7 percent compared to last year. And this is the highest figure since 2011, when the economic supercycle also happened, but the increase (at that time) was only 137.6 points,” he said.

This means that the trading temperature is much higher than in 2011, the minister remarked.

Therefore, he said several indicators of an increase are becoming evident, for example, the price of vegetable oil, which rose by 201.7 points or by almost 27 percent at the beginning of 2022 compared to the previous year.

Apart from that, the issue of weather disturbances, supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, and most recently, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine still has the potential to pose a big problem in the future, Lutfi said.

“This is part of our challenge in 2022,” he added.

Thus, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the Russia-Ukrainian conflict, the problems have become more complex, the minister said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered economic sanctions from the United States and Europe, which are expected to end trade globalization, he added.

“Economic growth has fallen. US exports have fallen by minus 3 percent, and Europe has dropped two points, which causes this to become a direct link with Indonesia,” he emphasized.

For this reason, Lutfi said, Indonesia is trying to resolve domestic problems, especially related to trade, which is connected to global conditions.

Source: Antara News

Mass media is playing a role in raising public awareness and contributing to efforts to reduce disaster risk, Public Information and Communication Director General at the Communication and Informatics Ministry Usman Kansong has said.

While carrying out its duty, mass media is expected not to cause panic, but carry out dissemination efforts so that the entire community is ready to face disasters, he added.

“We live in a Ring of Fire or a disaster-prone region. Hence, we must be ready to face disasters,” he remarked during a media briefing here on Thursday.

The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR), scheduled to be held in Nusa Dua, Bali from May 23–28, 2022, can serve as a starting point for various stakeholders to carry out risk reduction efforts, he said.

Within the context of this activity, the media can also play a role in raising public awareness and preparing people to face disasters, he added.

According to Kansong, the role of media is very important for building collaboration for disaster mitigation, specifically in conveying proportional information related to the international event.

“We expect that the people receive the widest information access as possible so that all parties can receive understanding and knowledge of risk reduction efforts,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Staff Office’s (KSP’s) main expert staff Widiarsi Agustina said that GPDRR is not just a ceremonial activity, but represents the spirit of resilience.

She told journalists attending the event that they have the job of serving humanity.

Agustina urged the public to initiate a social movement to raise awareness so that there is a change in people’s behavior.

Indonesia has a foundation in the form of mutual assistance or other local wisdom that each region possesses, she said.

“There are many stories or practices in Indonesia that can be promoted and disseminated to the people, both domestic and abroad,” she added.

For instance, in Bali, the communication radio community Pasebaya is playing a role in educating residents living on the slope of Mount Agung in Karangasem, she highlighted.

It is also cooperating with business and educational institutions in Tanjung Benoa for preparing people against the threat of a tsunami, she added.

Source: Antara News

Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has asked universities to continue to strengthen collaboration to build a superior national talent ecosystem.

“Collaboration between universities and the government, industry, and the business world, as well as the community must continue to be built and strengthened so as to be able to create an ideal ecosystem for the growth of seeds of national talent,” he said while delivering the keynote address online from Jakarta at the National Dialogue of 2045 Indonesia Gold Talent Management.

The event was organized by Andalas University on Thursday.

The development of talented and globally competitive human resources (HR) is one of the government’s priorities, Amin said.

An ecosystem for the growth of superior talent has also begun to be built and is focused on the fields of research and innovation, arts and culture, and sports, he informed.

The government is currently preparing a grand design for the 2022–2045 National Talent Management, which is being coordinated by the National Talent Management Task Force, he noted.

The task requires the collaboration of all stakeholders, including universities, he said.

The Vice President then outlined the strategic role of universities in building superior talent. Universities act as places to cultivate, hone, strengthen, and develop the potential, knowledge, and character of students, he noted.

“Universities as agents of social and economic transformation of the nation are no longer limited to places where knowledge transfer occurs,” the Vice President explained.

Thus, they must provide space for students to develop their talents, abilities, and expertise, he added.

“Hopefully, college graduates can choose a career path or profession that suits their talents,” he said.

In addition, the Vice President emphasized the role of universities in leading the preparation of future leaders. Students must be equipped with knowledge, faith, and piety as well as a strong national character, he said.

“The character of national identity is important to be grown and maintained. We have agreed on Pancasila as a unifier of the nation, we must always guide it as a basis for behavior,” he remarked.

The Vice President asked universities to be sensitive to future trends so that their graduates are ready to face the challenges of the times.

“Universities are expected to produce graduates who not only have theoretical understanding, but also have problem-solving and reasoning capacities so that they are able to answer real problems in society,” he said.

He also underlined the importance of continuous improvement. In positioning itself as an institution that develops talent, a university must make continuous improvement, he said.

He then expressed the hope that the dialogue would strengthen collaboration in efforts to formulate the grand design of National Talent Management for 2022–2045.

“I hope that the National Dialogue at Andalas University can strengthen collaboration between stakeholders and generate thought contributions in realizing the grand design of National Talent Management for 2022–2045,” he explained.

Earlier, the Chancellor of Andalas University, Yuliandri, said that the national dialogue was initiated as a follow-up to the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 21/2021 on the National Talent Management Task Force, which mandates the formulation and preparation of the National Talent Management grand design for 2022–2045.

“The background of this activity is as an effort to prepare talented and globally competitive human resources in order to realize Indonesia’s 2045 vision, which requires a comprehensive, sustainable, innovative, and collaborative national talent development ecosystem,” Yuliandri added.

Source: Antara News