Month: March 2022

Indonesia recorded a deflation of 0.02 percent in February 2022, fueled by a decline in the prices of several commodities, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).

“Based on the results of monitoring conducted by the BPS in 90 cities, (the country) recorded a deflation of 0.02 percent, with IHK (the consumer price index) declining to 108.24 in February, from 108.26 in January,” BPS Deputy Head for Distribution and Service Statistics Setianto stated at a press conference here on Tuesday.

Setianto noted that the prices of commodities, including cooking oil, purebred chicken eggs, and purebred chicken meat, declined in February as compared to that a month earlier.

With the deflation, the calendar year inflation for the January-February 2022 period reached 0.54 percent and year-on-year inflation touched 2.06 percent in February 2022.

Of the 90 cities surveyed for IHK, 53 cities recorded a deflation and 37 cities experienced an inflation in February.

The highest deflation of 2.08 percent was recorded in Tanjungpandan, fueled by a drop in the prices of kurisi fish at 0.58 percent; selar and tude fish, 0.4 percent; and cooking oil, 0.26 percent.

The lowest deflation of 0.01 percent was recorded in Palembang, Palangkaraya, and Tarakan.

The highest inflation of 0.65 percent was recorded in Kupang, driven by a rise in the prices of kembung fish at 0.17 percent; kangkong, at 0.15 percent; and green mustard, at 0.10 percent.

The lowest inflation of 0.01 percent was recorded in Tanjung Selor.

Source: Antara News

PT Mitra Stania Prima (MSP) recorded positive performance in 2021 in line with a rise in the world’s tin prices.

“The company’s net sales in 2021 increased, as the price of the commodity rose,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Arsari Tambang Aryo Djojohadikusumo noted in a statement here on Tuesday.

The company under Arsari Tambang recorded production of 3,093 tons of tin metal in 2021.

“The net sales increased by 74 percent as compared to last year due to an increase in the global tin commodity prices,” the CEO noted.

According to Djojohadikusumo, the company’s tin metal sales are conducted on the tin exchange at the Jakarta Future Exchange, with export objectives dominated by Europe, the United States, and Asia.

He noted that mining activities were conducted in the Mapur Block, Cit Village of Bangka Regency, and Kepuh Block & Penyak Block in Central Bangka Regency.

“MSP exploration activities in 2021 conducted in an area of 234 hectares have resulted in 27,774 meters drilled at 979 points,” Aryo stated.

Tin prices rocketed to all-time highs on Friday (Sept 24) on the back of persistent supply issues and low inventories, although uncertainty regarding China’s Evergrande kept a lid on metals prices, as quoted by Reuters.

Benchmark tin on the London Metal Exchange rose to a record $36,830 a ton and was up 3.5 percent at $36,700 by 16:10 GMT.

Prices for the metal were fuelled by supply disruptions in major producing countries and booming demand for electronics, where the metal is used for soldering to connect components.

Source: Antara News

Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono on Tuesday said he is committed to continuing the development of people’s infrastructure.

With the construction of Air Lontar Bridge that connects Pengandonan and Muara Jaya Districts in South Sumatra Province, economic activities in the surrounding areas are expected to continue to grow and boost the community’s economy, the minister said.

“This proves that the government of President Joko Widodo has not only built large infrastructures, such as national roads, toll roads, and dams, but we have also continued to build community infrastructure, including suspension bridges. We have built thousands of suspension bridges throughout Indonesia,” Minister Hadimuljono said in a written statement on Tuesday.

The construction of the bridge was initiated by the provincial government of South Sumatra as well as the district government of Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU), and is being supported by the PUPR Ministry, he added.

The bridge has two frames at the top spanning 40 meters and 50 meters and has been built at a cost of Rp9.8 billion, the minister informed. The bridge was constructed by local workers using domestically sourced materials, he highlighted.

The 90-meter-long and 6-meter-wide Air Lontar Bridge spans the Muara Laham and Ogan rivers.

Before its launch, the bridge underwent a static and dynamic load test, which was conducted by the local government. Loading and other tests were also carried out on the bridge, in accordance with the procedures set by the ministry, Hadimuljono said.

He also asked the Sumatra VIII River Basin Center (BBWS) to conduct a survey of agricultural land irrigated by Muara Laham and Ogan rivers so that irrigation improvements can be carried out.

The minister said that a dam will be designed and constructed this year and next year so that rice fields can receive optimal irrigation, he informed.

“From the helicopter, I saw how beautiful the rice plants are here. The water also looks clear. This proves that the watersheds here are still well maintained. With the improvement of irrigation, hopefully, farmers can plant at least twice a year,” he added.

Source: Antara News

House of Representatives’ (DPR RI’s) Commission VI legislator, Achmad Badrowi, supports the government’s proposal to convert Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) as a fully-fledged state-owned company to augment the company’s performance and drive future development.

“BSI today cannot move much, as the bank has — BRI, Mandiri, and BNI — the three stakeholders. Each stakeholder has a different decision, hope, and business orientation,” Badrowi noted here on Tuesday.

The legislator opined that the conversion of BSI’s status would be appropriate, as Indonesia, with the largest Muslim population, must have a government-owned bank to cater to residents looking to conduct their daily financial activities and businesses while adhering to the Islamic law.

BSI’s status conversion, from a subsidiary of state-owned banks to a fully-fledged state-owned bank, would enhance the Islamic bank in deciding the financial strategy without the need to cater to the interests of parent companies, he remarked.

Meanwhile, fellow Commission VI legislator Puteri Komarudin stated that the government’s efforts to convert BSI into a state-owned company should be supported by all stakeholders.

The bank needs firm management, business plan, human resources, and infrastructure readiness to boost its transformation, she noted.

“Once BSI become a state-owned bank, they have a grand quest to bolster the contribution of Islamic banking to the national economy,” Komarudin affirmed.

The legislator also reminded the government to ensure that BSI’s status change must not negatively impact the bank’s current stakeholders, especially the three state-owned banks as the main stakeholders.

According to the company’s financial report by December 2021, the three main stakeholders are Bank Mandiri that holds a 50.83-percent share of BSI’s stocks, followed by BNI, 24.85 percent; and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), 17.25 percent.

Moreover, Dinar Standard’s State of Global Islamic Economic Report (SGIE) revealed that as of 2019, the global Muslim population had reached 1.9 billion people, and the total transaction of halal products that reached US$2.02 trillion that year is expected to rise to US$2.4 trillion by 2024.

Source: Antara News

Kampoeng Durian (Durian Village), an agro-tourism destination located in Datar Lebar Village, Taba Penanjung Sub-district, Central Bengkulu District, Bengkulu Province, has improved the community’s economy and encouraged development of the local village.

Durian is a large round fruit, with a strong odor and thorn-covered thick rind. The fruit is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

The most common durian cultivated in Indonesia is the Durio zibethinus species native to Sumatra and Kalimantan.

In addition to durian, the residents of Datar Lebar Village sell other agricultural products along the road to the tourism attraction.

Hence, the establishment of Kampoeng Durian has bolstered the economy of the surrounding community, who earlier sold their crops to wholesalers at a lower price.

Owing to the agro-tourism area, they can sell their products at a higher price. For instance, usually they sell small-, medium-, and large-sized durians for Rp5 thousand, Rp10 thousand, and Rp15 thousand respectively.

In the tourism attractions, a small-sized fruit is sold at about Rp10 thousand to Rp15 thousand, while Rp20 thousand to Rp30 thousand for the medium-sized ones, and Rp35 thousand to Rp50 thousand for the large-sized ones.

Although several spots of Kampoeng Durian are still under construction, the number of people coming to spend their weekends at the site has steadily increased.

Initiator of the development of the tourism area, Mardian Farizal, is actually the owner of a 14-hectare farming area in the village.

Farizal spoke of being inspired by scenic views of the mountains and rivers surrounding his durian plantations to establish the Kampoeng Durian.

“Although, initially, I did not have any plan to create any recreational spot,” he affirmed.

Development of the tourism attraction was started in mid-2020 on a two-hectare plot of land.

A visitor from Bengkulu City, Gustari Johandari, stated that Kampoeng Durian is a cozy vacation destination on account of the landscape.

“In addition, there is a public swimming pool in the area,” he stated.

Furthermore, the visitors can wait for ripe durians to fall or directly pick the fruit from the tree, although the activities can only be conducted during the harvest season from December to February.

Visitors must travel from Bengkulu City for about 30 kilometers (km) to Bajak I Village, Taba Penanjung Sub-district, Central Bengkulu District, to get to Kampoeng Durian.

From the village, the tourists can continue their journey to Datar Lebar Village for approximately 20-25 minutes.

The road to Datar Lebar Village has been partially paved with asphalt. Meanwhile, some parts of the street are only covered with gravel. However, the route is fairly adequate to be used.

On arrival at the entry of Kampoeng Durian, visitors keen to enjoy public bathing must go downhill since the site is located at a valley.

In addition to durians, which has become the tourism area’s icon, Farizal has planned to plant several other fruits, such as avocados, oranges, and coconuts.

Hence, the visitors are not only able to enjoy the view but can also relish a wide variety of fresh fruits.

Riverside pool

In addition to the shady trees and quality durian fruits, Kampoeng Durian provides a riverside public pool with splendid natural scenery.

There are three tiers of the pool. Thus, visitors can swim freely while enjoying the view of the surrounding rice fields and green hills.

Furthermore, the river is calm and shallow, so visitors can also take their children to bathe and play in the river.

Resting hut

Farizal noted that the agro-tourism area also has several resting huts that can be used for free except for the ones located near the swimming pool. Visitors must pay Rp10 thousand per hour to occupy those huts.

The tariff is imposed only for occupying the huts surrounding the pool to keep the facility from becoming overly crowded.

Currently, Kampoeng Durian has 22 huts, of which 10 are located near the pool, while the rest were built across the river — right on the edge of the rice fields.

Empowering the locals

Farizal stated that currently, his side is employing 15 workers hailing from several villages in the Taba Penanjung Sub-district to manage the tourism site.

The attempt aims to improve the local people’s economy as well as to ensure the visitors’ safety while exploring the site since the workers have been familiar with the location, he remarked.

In addition to employing local residents, his side also assists in developing the public infrastructure of Datar Lebar Village, such as the roads.

Furthermore, Farizal plans to help in building other village infrastructure to increase the popularity of Datar Lebar Village among the wider community.

Head of the village, Budi, remarked that along with the development of Kampoeng Durian, the road in his village has also been improved gradually.

Prior to the establishment of Kampoeng Durian, he noted that the quality of the street was quite poor, as it was only a clay road without any pavement.

However, currently, the street’s condition has improved, with additional layers of stone and sand, although it has not been paved well by asphalt.

“Although the improved road is not the main one, still, it has greatly helped us,” the village head added.

Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo stated that the export value of the agriculture sector had continued to grow.

In 2021, the export value of agricultural products reached Rp625.04 trillion, an increase of 38.68 percent as compared to the export value in 2020.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Atqo Mardiyanto remarked that the sector had contributed 13.28 percent of Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021.

Mardiyanto affirmed that the agricultural sector’s growth in 2021 was bolstered by the increasing yields of horticultural products, such as banana, with an increase by 6 percent; pineapple, 19.50-percent growth; and durian, 21.25-percent rise.

According to the BPS data, Indonesia had produced a total of 1,133,195 tons durians in 2020. East Java Province is the most productive region by contributing 24.33 percent of the total production.

Source: Antara News

Mandalika is gearing to receive tourists ahead of the MotoGP event on March 18–20, 2022, deputy for tourism products and creative economy at the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry Rizki Handayani Mustafa, said.

Currently, preparations have entered the final stage in all sectors, starting from arrangements for the entry of participants and tourists, supporting transportation, to the provision of health services, she informed.

“We only have 18 days left for the implementation. Actually, we just need to clean up; if we are in a restaurant like now, it is time to tidy up the table and set the dishes. We have done the cooking and shopping,” she remarked at an online press conference for the 2022 Mandalika MotoGP in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Handayani also assured all sectors under the coordination of Field Commander Marshal (TNI) Hadi Tjahjanto were ready.

“Every week we are tracing, so that we know what are the shortcomings that still need to be prepared,” she said.

The government is also continuing to coordinate regarding the permitted audience capacity, which has been set at 60 thousand spectators, she added.

Although there has been a downward trend in COVID-19 cases lately, efforts to prevent transmission must still be carried out, she said.

As a super-priority tourism destination (DPSP), Mandalika is enjoying a windfall with the MotoGP event, she remarked. Moreover, the sporting event has many fans around the world, she noted.

“This will lift the image and promote Indonesia in general and Mandalika in particular,” she said.

The MotoGP event will not only have an impact on the development of tourism facilities, but also other facilities that will have great benefits for the local community, Handayani said.

“We hope that West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), especially Lombok, will become an international destination,” she added.

Hopefully, drivers and tourists who attend MotoGP will also get a good impression during their visit to NTB, she said.

“So, what we need to do is to maintain a good impression on foreign tourists and participants who attend MotoGP,” she added.

Source: Antara News

APEC members are striving to ensure food security so that people do not go hungry and are well nourished, while taking care of the environment, according to the APEC Policy Partnership on Food Security.

Food security, food safety, and sustainable agriculture development have long been concerns in the Asia-Pacific, and remain a priority as the region works to overcome the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it said in a written statement issued on Tuesday.

“Despite having various individual food systems, member economies are confronted with similar vulnerabilities, and this is why collaboration will be key in our efforts to strengthen food security in APEC,” chair of the APEC Policy Partnership on Food Security, Chantanon Wannakejohn, said.

He highlighted the need for all APEC economies to improve both the quality and the quantity of food production and improve the way they trade food products.

“While we look for ways to grow and increase our production, we need to decrease the environmental impact of food value chains and support good environmental outcomes,” he said.

“APEC should have a role in addressing some of the key food security challenges as we are, collectively, significant food producers and consumers,” he added.

Sustainability has become the main focus area of APEC with officials advancing the region’s vision to restore growth that is strong, balanced, secure, sustainable, and inclusive, which also includes ensuring food security and safety, he said.

Last year, agriculture and food ministers reaffirmed their commitment to an open, transparent, productive, sustainable, and resilient APEC food system by launching a new 10-year food security roadmap, he noted.

This year, the Policy Partnership on Food Security will focus on developing concrete action to carry out the APEC Food Security Roadmap of 2030, he informed.

Leveraging the rapid advancement of digital technology over the course of the pandemic, member economies are seeking wider adoption of global data standards to improve the overall transparency and efficiency of food value chains, and a review is scheduled to be conducted in 2025, he added.

“Digitalization and other innovative technologies provide us with opportunities to strengthen food security by enhancing productivity, minimizing food loss and waste, dealing with climate change and natural disasters, as well as facilitating food waste,” Chantanon said.

Moving forward, member economies will explore domestic schemes or programs that encourage innovative products and solutions, as well as research and development of emerging technologies such as smart agriculture, he added.

Public-private partnership will also play a key role in supporting members’ individual and collective efforts to minimize the food system’s harmful impact on the environment, he said. Already, economies are looking to intensify public-private investment in infrastructure and cold-chain to reduce the current level of food loss and waste, he noted.

“We strongly believe that the future of food security and economic growth will depend on how we can foster growth in parallel with creating the balance in our economy, social, and environment front,” Chantanon remarked.

“This is also in line with the theme and priorities of APEC Thailand 2022,” he added.

Thailand has highlighted the economic model of bio-circular-green (BCG) as one of its priorities this year. Agriculture and the food sector are one of the main focus industries — the goal being product diversification and the migration of low-value commodities to value-added products.

APEC’s Food Security Ministerial Meeting is scheduled to be held in August 2022.

Source: Antara News

The role and potential of women in the economy is very crucial and should be developed, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Bintang Puspayoga said in a press statement issued on Tuesday.

Women’s participation in Indonesia’s economy has risen significantly, she highlighted.

In the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, Indonesian women’s contribution to the economy reached 61 percent, with almost half of MSMEs owned and managed by women, she noted.

This shows that women’s potential in work and investment is very crucial, not just for daily lives and family resiliency, but also for the nation, Puspayoga remarked.

“As the biggest economy in ASEAN, Indonesia should implement the National Economic Recovery (PEN) Program to expedite economic growth,” the minister said.

“By allocating sufficient funds through PEN, with the majority of the benefit and program recipients being women, it is expected that it can alleviate a quite large economic burden caused by the pandemic,” she added.

Puspayoga said she supports the efforts of the Indonesian Women Entrepreneurs Association (IWAPI) and Asia Africa Chamber of Commerce (AACC) in strengthening women entrepreneurs’ capacity building in investment, trade, and business.

“Representing the Indonesian government, I give the highest appreciation to IWAPI and AACC that have facilitated women entrepreneurs in investment, trade, and business,” she stated.

There are many women who have been empowered economically and assumed leadership positions, Puspayoga said.

However, there are still many women who are not quite empowered, she added.

According to UN Women, one of the factors hindering women’s economical empowerment is discrimination in the manpower market, she informed.

This discrimination can come in the form of limited access to certain sectors and wage discrimination, she explained.

A gender gap in the manpower market not only causes a decline in income of women, but also affects their status within society, the minister said.

This puts women in a vulnerable position career-wise, especially during economic crises, she added.

Source: Antara News