Day: March 23, 2022

The Jakarta provincial government has assured that food stocks, especially staple goods, in the city are sufficient to meet the needs of residents during the Ramadan month.

“We have calculated that the stock availability is safe, both in quantity and quality,” head of the Food, Maritime, and Agriculture Security Service (KPKP), Suharini Eliawati, said during a meeting with Commission B of the Jakarta Regional People’s Representative Council on Wednesday.

She also assured that the stocks of six basic necessities allocated for the poor and vulnerable groups, or subsidized affordable food, were sufficient.

The six basic necessities allocated under the affordable food subsidy are rice, beef, chicken meat, eggs, milk, and mackerel.

Meanwhile, president director of Regional State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Food Station, Tjipinang Jaya Pamrihadi Wiraryo, informed that the rice stocks had reached around 30 thousand tons as of March 22, 2022.

The average consumption of rice in Jakarta reached 86 thousand tons per month, or an average of 2,800 tons per day, while the incoming stock was around 3 thousand tons, he added.

For the preparation of other food stocks, he said the authorities have readied 1,500 tons of granulated sugar, 75 thousand tons of cooking oil, 400 tons of chicken eggs in 15-piece packaging, and 100 tons of all-purpose flour.

Jakarta’s KPKP has mapped food requirements for the fasting month period until Eid al-Fitr, namely from April–May 2022. For rice, the requirement is estimated to reach 208 thousand tons, 7,576 tons for beef, 67,245 tons for chicken, 73,174 tons for chicken eggs, and 7,110 tons for red chili pepper.

Then, the requirement for large curly chili is estimated at 8,679 tons, red onions 19,894 tons, garlic 5,444 tons, sugar 16,796 tons, and cooking oil 53,127 tons, Eliawati informed.

Source: Antara News

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy observed the construction of 173 housing units for victims of the Seroja tropical cyclone natural disaster that struck in early April of 2021.

“Thus, these houses were built for those who were really affected, specifically the ones whose houses were destroyed. Later, this will be for them,” the minister noted while reviewing the construction of houses for victims of the tropical cyclone Seroja in Manulai II Village, Alak Sub-district, here, Wednesday.

Effendy remarked that 173 units were built for victims of the Seroja tropical cyclone natural disaster. They are not in one plot of land but separately.

The first area has 66 housing units built, the second area has 52 units, the third area has 45 units, and the fourth area has 10 housing units.

The minister notified that the infrastructure for the houses was 100-percent complete, with all that had to be done was simply to finish, polish, and tidy them up.

Effendy stated that the type 36 house was built with the Simple Healthy Instant Home technology, so it was resistant to earthquakes.

“This house was built (that way), so that it can withstand earthquakes,” he stated.

The buildings were being checked to monitor the water flow into the housing complex as well as to check the water reservoirs prepared for every house at that location.

He called for immediate completion of the construction and readying the houses, so that they could be handed over to the Kupang City government for managing them.

Minister Effendy expected that in April next month, residents, who had met the requirements, could immediately occupy the new house.

Source: Antara News

Active participation of cities around the world can drive the achievement of the global agenda, Secretary General of the Association of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Emilia Saiz stated.

“The global agenda cannot be achieved without the active participation of cities around the world. Without their contribution, there are no rules and policies,” Saiz noted at the Urban 20 (U20) sherpa meeting held virtually, Wednesday.

The UCLG secretary general noted that a crisis or pandemic had an impact on cities, local areas, and governments around the world.

“The existence of a crisis proves to us that unity is more important than ever,” Saiz remarked.

In difficult times, Saiz pressed for boosting capacity to continue to promote peace and develop local democracy as the basis of a peaceful society.

“We have achieved great things when Urban 20 put together a strong agenda that can actually support some of the global goals for our planet,” Saiz affirmed.

According to the UCLG secretary general, in the last cycle, everyone must understand that the urban era is not only the period of big cities but that of large and small areas and the role of cities and service providers.

“We have also supported the importance of culture in developing resilient and sustainable societies that can foster sustainable peace. We know that sustainable peace is what we really need at this time,” Saiz affirmed.

She appealed to everyone to understand the importance of solidarity in fighting the pandemic and meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

“We must also understand that without true solidarity there will be no way to trigger worldwide health coverage and vaccinations for the entire planet. We will not be able to meet the very important goals that we have agreed on within the framework of the sustainable development goals (SDGs),” Saiz stressed.

Saiz said that her side was keen to continue to build on these values and priorities.

“We are very proud to see that the priorities of cities across the planet continue to be the same. Health is the main agenda. We also recognize that sustainable mobility will be very important, but we do not want to forget inclusion and equity as issues of concern in our work,” he remarked.

According to the official website urban20.org, the U20 was launched in 2017 under the leadership of Mayor Larreta of Buenos Aires and Mayor Hidalgo of Paris to bring together mayors from major G20 cities to inform the discussions of national leaders at the G20.

The U20 aims at facilitating lasting engagement between the G20 and cities, raise the profile of urban issues in the G20 agenda, and establish a forum for cities to develop a collective message and perspective to help inform G20 negotiations.

Source: Antara News

Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko confirmed that the government will take precautionary measures against the potential misuse of bulk cooking oil packaged in premium packaging by irresponsible parties in order to derive big profits.

“We need to watch out regarding the potential misuse of bulk cooking oil packed in a premium packaging,” Moeldoko noted during his working visit to Malang, East Java Province, on Wednesday.

In addition to the likelihood of misuse of bulk cooking oil sold in premium packaging, the government is continuing to monitor and increase awareness of the practice of hoarding these commodities, he remarked.

In an effort to minimize the practice of misuse and hoarding bulk cooking oil, which has the Highest Retail Price (HET) of Rp14,000, the government will urge the Food Task Force to conduct strict supervision.

“We will call on the Food Task Force to take surveillance actions on the field if there is any misuse and hoarding,” he affirmed.

Moeldoko later informed that the government’s move to abolish HET for packaged cooking oil and set HET only for bulk cooking oil aims to form an economic price determined by the market.

“With the revocation of the HET for packaged cooking oil, the economic price is determined by the market. However, the government will set the price on bulk cooking oil,” he remarked.

In an effort to maintain the supply of cooking oil, especially bulk cooking oil, the government had issued a policy to increase the domestic market obligation (DMO) of cooking oil to 30 percent of the total exports, from the earlier 20 percent, Moeldoko stated.

“The government had asked the big companies to set aside DMO, from 20 percent to 30 percent. They must be responsible for the availability of cooking oil. They cannot import it based on their own will,” he noted.

Earlier, the Ministry of Trade revoked Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 6 of 2022 on the Determination of the HET for Palm Cooking Oil through Minister of Trade Regulation Number 11 of 2022.

Minister of Trade Regulation Number 11 of 2022 concerning the Determination of HET for Bulk Cooking Oil stipulates that the HET of bulk cooking oil is set at Rp14,000 per liter or Rp15,500 per kilogram.

With the issuance of Minister of Trade Regulation Number 11 of 2022, the one price policy for cooking oil priced at Rp14,000 per liter for all types is no longer valid. The price of premium packaged cooking oil is now adjusted to the economic value and market mechanism.

Source: Antara News

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, is optimistic that the 22nd Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair (INACRAFT) 2022 will boost the creative economy sector in Indonesia.

“Local creative economic products have quality as good as imported products. This is our joint effort to recover the economy, especially through the creative economic MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises),” the minister said at the Jakarta Conventional Center Senayan, here on Wednesday.

The minister made the statement at the opening of the INACRAFT 2022, the largest craft exhibition in Southeast Asia, which is being held at JCC Senayan from March 23 to 27 this year, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry said in a press release.

Based on the data of the Focus Economy Outlook 2020, the tourism and creative economic sector contributed Rp1,100 trillion to Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020.

Uno said his ministry will continue to help boost national economic growth by creating a good ecosystem for creative economic actors to develop.

“Creative economy is a future industry that plays a big role in building the national economy. They are job creators and openers for the recovery of the people’s economy. So I really support it,” he remarked.

This year, INACRAFT is promoting various handicraft products to encourage economic revival and create job opportunities.

The ministry’s pavilion is seeking to promote and market 16 selected brands of handicraft products.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo, in his opening remarks at the exhibition, expressed appreciation for the implementation of INACRAFT 2022. He called on Indonesians to endorse domestic products.

“I invite people to love domestically made products, especially handicraft products; this will advance our crafters, advance our MSMEs,” the President said.

The government canceled INACRAFT in 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and held the event virtually in 2021.

This year’s event is featuring an INACRAFT Virtual Exhibition, INACRAFT Marketplace, and INACRAFT x Tokopedia.

Source: Antara News

The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) said Indonesia will try to anticipate the economic impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including a potential increase in inflation as energy and food prices climb in global markets.

“As its impact (in Indonesia) will be seen from the cost of meeting the import of fuel oil, with 40 percent of needs still relying on imports,” Deputy III Presidential Chief of Staff Panutan S. Sulendrakusuma said in a written statement issued here on Wednesday.

The increase in energy prices will affect logistics costs and trigger an increase in the price of imported commodities such as wheat, soybeans, corn, and cattle, he said.

This will have an effect on the costs of the food industry, restaurants, and catering entrepreneurs, he added.

“This has the potential to cause an increase in the rate of inflation,” he said.

Hence, the government will implement anticipatory measures if the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, he added. Efforts to reduce the economic impact will include measures to maintain the stability of subsidized gas prices for the poor and not increase Pertalite fuel prices.

Sulendrakusuma said Indonesia’s trade and investment relations with Russia and Ukraine have so far been relatively low.

Indonesia’s trade balance with Russia was US$239.79 million, he elaborated. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s trade value with Ukraine was minus US$623.89 million.

“The conflict between Russia and Ukraine did not have a direct impact on the Indonesian economy. This is in line with Indonesia’s minimal trade relations with the two conflicting countries,” he said.

In general, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could have a major impact on the global economy, including raising prices of energy, agricultural, and manufacturing products, he added.

Russia is the third-largest oil producer in the world and meets 11 percent of global oil demand. In addition, Russia is also the largest gas producer and the sixth-largest coal producer in the world.

“War will cause a spike in global oil, gas, and coal prices. The price of Brent oil has reached US$101.68 per barrel,” he said.

Source: Antara News

The National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS) has called for Islamic philanthropic collaboration for digital technology utilization, for which there is now an increasing need.

“This collaboration is expected to utilize the development of digital technology, which is now increasingly needed. For example, in the future, it is highly necessary to use cashless aid distribution facilities to help refugees to obtain basic needs,” KNEKS Executive Director Ventje Rahardjo said.

He made the statement during the launch of the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) Islamic Philanthropy 2022 Annual Report, held virtually here on Wednesday.

KNEKS is also seeking to fulfill the need for strengthening the economic and Islamic financial ecosystem in relation to support for the utilization of zakat (alms) and waqf funds to help mustahiq (zakat beneficiaries) who are refugees, he explained.

The distribution of aid to mustahiq must be encouraged to optimize the accuracy of targeting, the accuracy of the form of assistance provided, the speed of distribution, the increase in the benefit of aid, and the availability of valid and real-time data on the distribution of aid, he added.

Citing the increase in the humanitarian needs of refugees, Rahardjo urged all Islamic philanthropic organizations, Indonesia’s amil zakat agencies, Islamic institutions, and related corporations to build strong cooperation with the UNHCR.

Such cooperation can be developed and carried out through programs for refugees, he added.

According to the data, as of November 2021, most of the refugees in Indonesia came from Afghanistan, Somalia, and Myanmar.

Indonesia also ranked fourth in Asia in terms of the number of refugees, after Thailand, Bangladesh, and Malaysia.

Globally, at least 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes and the count has continued to increase, for instance, the number of refugees in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has touched 3 million.

“Therefore, we encourage the international community to be concerned about all refugees and this concern needs to be applied with the same standard regardless of the origin of the conflicts,” he stressed.

Rahardjo also said he believed that it is important for entities in Indonesia and also globally, both public and private, to join hands with UNHCR as the refugee crisis is not only a UNHCR problem, but a humanitarian issue, and resolving it is a shared responsibility of all relevant institutions.

Another concerning fact is that 60 percent of more than 80 million refugees worldwide are coming from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, he noted.

“In this case, KNEKS also supports efforts to make Islamic philanthropy fund, especially zakat, as a supporter funding assistance for refugees,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News