Day: June 10, 2022

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah highlighted four developments pertaining to Indonesia’s progress in the employment sector, including strengthening stakeholders’ collaboration, during her speech at the plenary session of the 110th International Labor Conference (ILC) in Switzerland.

The minister noted that various advancements in the labor sector could serve as references for members of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to develop their labor sector in their respective countries.

“We have improved employment policies through multi-stakeholder collaboration and transformed the employment training center into a center for competence and productivity,” Fauziyah noted in a written statement on Friday.

The minister later spoke of her side having strengthened stakeholders’ collaboration in the field of employment programs and policies. Indonesia has actively involved the private sector and trade unions/labor unions (SP/SB) as well as academia in the transformation of job training institutions.

The second progress was achieved in the form of the newly enacted law to protect migrant workers that provides a safety net for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).

Under the third development, the Manpower Ministry continues to encourage social dialog as an instrument to develop conducive industrial relations in Indonesia. The minister noted that the mechanism and form of social dialog should be developed on the basis of different national circumstances in fostering social dialog in each ILO member country.

“Indonesia has shown its commitment to developing social dialog based on respect for freedom of association as well as effective recognition to them,” she stated at the conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 9.

Apart from creating and expanding job opportunities, the other progress achieved is entrepreneurship and cooperatives to build the economy and survive during crises.

Fauziyah conveyed that system development, cooperatives management, and entrepreneurship contribute to promote decent work in future that can improve the people’s lives.

“We continue to strengthen the role of entrepreneurship and cooperatives in national development as well as mobilize their contribution in ending the crisis,” the minister concluded.

Source: Antara News

Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Moeldoko has collaborated with technology and food experts to develop sorghum from the cultivation aspect to the industrialization stage.

To this end, Moeldoko, here on Friday, invited experts to the Bina Graha Building, the Presidential Palace Complex, to discuss the prospects of developing sorghum and the commodity’s research in the cultivation and industrialization processes.

“This is a form of the government’s seriousness in reviving this grain crop as an alternative food ingredient in Indonesia,” Moeldoko noted in a written statement from the Presidential Staff Office (KSP).

The KSP head noted that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was also surprised to witness the potential to grow sorghum in Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara.

“Even corn, green beans, and shallots planted there (Waingapu, NTT), failed (to grow). It is clear that sorghum can be relied on as an alternative food (source), so I am increasingly confident in the sorghum currently being developed in Waingapu,” he remarked.

He explained that the government was considering the process of sorghum cultivation up to the post-harvest process.

“There are research results that can increase the productivity of sorghum, right from being harvested after 90 days to being harvested after 70 days. In fact, the yield, which is usually three tons per hectare with technology, can be developed to 7-8 tons per hectare,” Moeldoko pointed out.

Experts are said to welcome the government’s views and goals since sorghum is considered to be a solution to poverty, environmental sustainability problems, and the food crisis.

In fact, nuclear power research institutions, under the auspices of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), have developed three superior varieties of sorghum seeds, specifically Pahat (Healthy Food), Samurai 1, and Samurai 2. The results of this research by Indonesian sorghum experts have been widely used by farmers in Africa.

“We have been wanting to develop this for a long time. Hence, Moeldoko’s intention to invite us to talk about sorghum cultivation was the right moment. Hopefully, we would synergize through this government program, so we are ready to help programs that are currently running,” academic from the University of Indonesia, Dr Ir. Kaseno, said as quoted from KSP’s statement.

In addition, Kaseno said, sorghum was a zero-waste agricultural product, and every part of this commodity can be utilized.

Sorghum seeds can be made into rice and processed into flour, and the stems of sorghum can be processed into liquid sugar, crystal sugar, or bioethanol. Even after all these processes, the remaining stems, leaves, and roots of sorghum can be processed into agricultural fertilizers and animal feed.

“This sorghum can survive in marginal and critical land. Meanwhile, there are several marginal lands in Indonesia. Hence, with this sorghum, we believe that Indonesia can become self-sufficient in food,” he affirmed.

On June 2, 2022, President Jokowi had paid a visit to witness the planted and harvested sorghum on 400 hectares of cultivated land in Laipori Village, East Sumba District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The president’s visit to East Sumba is related to the government’s efforts to find alternative sources of food as a follow-up to the warning of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) about the threat of a global food crisis due to climate change.

Source: Antara News

Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah held a meeting with Head of the Labour Directorate at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland Boris Zürcher to bolster bilateral cooperation in the employment sector.

According to the Manpower Ministry’s statement on Friday, Fauziyah noted that the two countries had established several cooperation agreements, for instance, the agreement on the exchange of young professionals as well as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labor and employment cooperation.

“The MoU was signed on June 18, 2019, in Geneva, Switzerland, between the Manpower Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education, and Research of the Swiss Confederation,” she noted.

At the meeting held on the sidelines of the 110th International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 9, 2022, the manpower minister expressed hope that the MoU would strengthen cooperation on developing labor market policies.

In addition, the MoU is expected to intensify collaborations regarding the improvement of international labor and employment standards as well as industrial relations.

“I also expect that the MoU can help to increase the understanding of each country to promote (the realization of) decent work that can contribute to improving our economic activities,” Fauziyah stated.

Furthermore, she encouraged tripartite involvement to hold social dialog, exchange of information and practices, meetings and workshops, cooperation and capacity-building attempts, joint studies, as well as joint initiatives to support the implementation of the MoU.

In addition, she looked forward to progress in the implementation of the Indonesia-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

“I warmly welcome further discussion regarding the plan on the implementation of the Swiss Tripartite mission to Indonesia in November 2022,” the minister remarked.

According to the Indonesian Trade Ministry’s website, the Indonesia-EFTA CEPA has been in effect since November 1, 2021. The EFTA is an economic forum comprising Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

Source: Antara News

Investment Minister/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Head Bahlil Lahadalia has proposed a budget of Rp1.88 trillion (US$128.52 million) to pursue the investment realization target of Rp1,250 trillion-Rp1,400 trillion (US$85.45 billion-US$95.7 billion) in 2023.

“Our investment target is increased to reach Rp1,250 trillion to Rp1,400 trillion in 2023. It is difficult since we are told to improve our achievement, but our budget was cut down by 50 percent,” he remarked during a working meeting with Commission VI of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) here on Friday.

In fact, the indicative ceiling budget of the ministry for the 2023 Fiscal Year was only Rp646.01 billion (US$44.16 million) that was allocated for the management support program, with a total of Rp314.3 billion (US$21.46 million) as well as for the investment program, worth Rp331.7 billion (US$22.67 million).

“Thus, we proposed an additional budget of Rp1.24 trillion (US$84.77 million),” the minister remarked.

Lahadalia said the additional budget proposal was submitted since his side assessed that the indicative ceiling budget was not adequate to support the realization of the investment target, as it continued to rise to cover the development budget deficit.

According to the economic theory, if the investment target is raised, the budget provided to realize the target should also be increased, he noted.

Moreover, Lahadalia pointed out that the ministry’s indicative ceiling budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year was quite higher than the one given for the 2023 Fiscal Year, although the investment realization target was lower.

“At the time, initially, the provided budget was only Rp715 billion (US$48.87 million), but after coordinating with the Finance Ministry and being approved by Commission VI of (DPR RI), we asked for an additional Rp600 billion (US$41.02 million),” he revealed.

Hence, the total budget of the ministry for the 2022 Fiscal Year was Rp1.30 trillion (US$88.87 million), as Rp328.2 billion (US$2.24 million) of the figure was allocated for the management support program budget, while the rest was allotted for the investment program.

Meanwhile, the initial investment realization target in 2022 was only Rp968.4 trillion (US$66.2 billion). Furthermore, the target was increased according to President Joko Widodo’s directives to Rp1,200 trillion (US$82.03 billion).

Furthermore, at the working meeting, Commission VI of the DPR RI approved the Investment Ministry’s budget proposal.

Source: Antara News

The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing has conducted a trial to utilize coal-burning waste from a steam electric power plant, known as fly ash and bottom ash, as road foundation.

The trial was conducted by the ministry’s National Road Implementation Agency office in Central Kalimantan, with ash waste supplied from the Pulang Pisau steam electric power plant in Pulang Pisau District.

“The trial is part of a collaboration pilot between the (state electricity company) PT PLN and the ministry to conceive an Indonesian National Standard (SNI) Plan for the Pulang Pisau steam electric power plant,” Manager of PT PLN’s Palangkaraya power plan control unit Heni Setyo Handoko stated here on Friday.

Handoko noted that the two waste mixtures tested during the trial are each 50 percent of fly ash and bottom ash, with seven percent of cement of the entire mixture and a select heap composed of 70 percent of fly ash and 30 percent of bottom ash.

If the trial, currently taking place at a location within the Pulang Pisau power plant complex, yields a positive result, then the next stage of the trial will continue on a section of a national road in Central Kalimantan, he remarked, adding that the trial result will serve as reference for the SNI formulation.

“We hope the result would yield a positive result, and (the mixture) can be used on public roads,” Handoko stated.

The ministry had earlier requested an SNI approval on the utilization of ash waste for road construction to the National Standardization Agency (BSN), he noted.

Fly ash is a fine particle residue produced from burning coal that is captured by an air pollution control equipment called electrostatic precipitator, while bottom ash is the residue of coal that is extracted routinely from a power plant facility.

Source: Antara News

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi praised the University of Indonesia (UI) for handing over electric buses to the Transportation Ministry.

“On behalf of myself and the government, I would like to thank UI for the initiative to hand over electric buses. God willing, this car will be used for G20 activities during the October-November 2022 period in Bali,” Sumadi stated after a test ride of the UI electric bus at the UI Depok campus here on Friday.

The minister affirmed that electric mass transportation was a necessity, and to this end, the Ministry of Transportation will oversee and continue to conduct in-depth research on electric cars.

Minister Sumadi is optimistic that Indonesia would become an exporter of electric cars. Meanwhile, to overcome the problems of pollution and congestion, the electric bus initiative to serve as a means of mass transportation should be considered quite important.

“This initiative is not easy. There are several things that we need to do in depth, including how to increase the Domestic Component Level (TKDN), and initiatives to develop electric charges as well as efforts to increase the content of batteries that are smaller but have more power,” he explained.

Meanwhile, UI Chancellor Prof. Ari Kuncoro stated that UI, as one of the centers of education and research in Indonesia, supports the G20 Presidency of Indonesia. One of the forms of support is by providing the UI Electric Bus as a means of transportation for G20 activities.

“This is our commitment to supporting Indonesia in the G20 Presidency,” Prof. Kuncoro emphasized.

Source: Antara News