Day: August 5, 2022

An official from the Commission for the Supervision of Business Competition’s (KPPU’s) regional office has confirmed that the investigation into a suspected cartel operated by Batam-Singapore ferry businesses is still on.

“The KPPU is still scrutinizing reports on the suspected Batam-Singapore ferry cartel,” Head of the KPPU’s Regional I Office in Medan,l Ridho Pamungkas said here on Friday.

The commission has held discussions with the Riau Islands legislature and business associations affiliated with the Batam Chamber of Commerce and Industry regarding reports of the suspected cartel, he added.

“We have also clarified reports made to KPPU and are now collecting on-site data and information,” the regional office head informed.

The investigation team will not be required to seek clarifications regarding the reports from ferry operators if sufficient data and information are obtained during the report clarification process, he said.

To complete the investigation of data and analysis, the KPPU has requested data and written statements from ferry operators and relevant stakeholders in Batam, he added.

So far, the KPPU has not been able to confirm the veracity of reports regarding the suspected cartel, as the current information obtained by the commission merely pertains to suspected collusion among operators for fixing ferry prices.

According to the team, a sudden and significant hike in ferry crossing fees by all ferry operators would indicate the presence of a cartel.

As ferry companies operate various ships with different specifications and operational fees, it is not logical when ferry operators increase the crossing fee to the same rate, he explained.

Pamungkas warned that companies found involved in cartel practices could face a minimum fine of Rp1 billion (US$67 thousand) and a maximum fine of ten percent of sales, or 50 percent of profits obtained while colluding with the cartel, as per Law No. 5 of 1999 on the Prohibition of Monopoly and Unhealthy Business Competition.

Besides imposing a hefty fine, KPPU can instruct businesses to withdraw from the cartel and return to the market mechanism and recommend further monitoring against non-business entities proven to participate in the cartel to relevant authorities, he added.

Source: Antara News

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) encouraged the use of packaging technology to increase the added value of processed foods, including traditional foods, in order to boost their circulation in the market.

“The category that we have developed so far is conventional thermal processing,” BRIN’s Research Center for Food Technology and Process researcher, Aldicky Faizal Amri, noted here on Friday.

Amri noted that several categories of food and beverage packaging and processing comprised the conventional thermal, aseptic, modern thermal, and modern non-thermal.

Amri said the conventional thermal technology is centered on utilizing sterilization research to increase the added value of products and protect fresh foodstuffs and processed foods from physical, chemical, and mechanical damage.

The thermal process aims to preserve food by using heat energy aimed at killing microorganisms in foodstuffs.

“Its main function is to maintain the hygiene of foodstuffs and the nutrition of packaged products (as well as for) information and promotion,” he stated.

Moreover, he explained that packaging activities are conducted in a coordinated system, such as preparing materials or goods to be distributed, transported, stored, sold, and consumed, while the function of packaging is promotion, protection of product quality, aesthetics, and education.

Amri pointed out that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including the culinary industry, can use the can packaging system, as it has a longer shelf life, although it is heavier in weight and the process is quite complex.

“Traditional food products (using) can packaging are automatically associated with high added value,” he stated.

According to Amri, the combination of packaging technology, such as heating at a certain temperature and canning, will make foods more durable and practical as well as be circulated in the market, thereby increasing the products’ added value, and is expected to support the people’s economy.

Source: Antara News

The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry has selected 12 startups, including two that are helping people with disabilities, that will participate in a side event of the Business 20 (B20) forum next week.

The remaining 10 startups have been selected through the 2022 Entrepreneur Financial Fiesta (EFF).

“It is an active attempt by the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry to facilitate the startups to grow, develop, and go global (expand their business globally),” deputy for entrepreneurship at the ministry, Siti Azizah, said in a statement issued here on Friday.

B20 is the official dialogue forum for the global business community for providing practical policy recommendations from a business viewpoint to the G20. The side event will be held on Monday (August 8, 2022) in Bali.

At the event, the selected participants will present their products in front of invited guests. Later, the startups will make a pitch to 39 domestic and foreign venture capitalists.

The 10 startups selected from the 2022 EFF include a digitization and development platform for automotive micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Bengkel Mania; a supply chain collaboration platform, Automa Supply Chain; as well as an online learning platform for young professionals, INSPIGO.

They further comprise DotX, which helps low-to-middle income workers improve their financial security; AturKuliner, which helps culinary businesses to manage their profits; Surplus Indonesia, which aims to reduce food waste in Indonesia; as well as PT Solusi Kerah Byru, which is helping informal workers improve their competence and skills.

They also include Nectico, which is supporting more than 700 digitalized cooperatives; Kukerja, a job finding and employee recruitment platform; as well as Bangbeli, which helps MSMEs conduct digital transactions.

Meanwhile, the two selected startups that are assisting people with disabilities include Hear Me, which provides sign language translation and interpretation technology to bridge communication between the hearing-impaired and people with normal hearing, the deputy said.

The other start-up is Accessive.id, which helps people with disabilities find accessible places, Azizah added.

The event is expected to increase the number of digitalized SMEs.

“Considering that digitalization is the gateway for SMEs to increase (their) access to local and global markets,” the deputy added.

Source: Antara News

Indonesia’s economy grew 5.44 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2022 due to an increase in consumption, investment, and exports, Bank Danamon economist Irman Faiz has said.

“Second-quarter GDP (gross domestic product) was mainly supported by stronger household consumption and strong net exports,” he informed here on Friday.

Household consumption contributed around 2.92 percent to the total GDP growth in the second quarter as Eid al-Fitr festivities helped restore economic activity to almost normal conditions, Faiz said.

Meanwhile, net exports added 2.14 percent to the total growth, which was in line with the trade surplus amid higher commodity prices.

Then, fixed investment also contributed 0.94 percent to the total GDP growth in the second quarter.

A conducive recovery in demand was also reflected in the sectoral side, with four sectors showing growth of around 50 percent, he noted.

“The four sectors are the sectors that are the worst affected by the pandemic,” said Faiz.

The four sectors were the manufacturing industry, which grew 0.82 percent; transportation, which expanded 0.76 percent; wholesale and retail trade, 0.58 percent; and communications, 0.50 percent.

Overall, Faiz said, he is optimistic that the Indonesian economy will grow 5.1 percent year on year in 2022, given that the growth in the past two quarters has been above 5 percent.

Moreover, he projected that the GDP in the third quarter of 2022 will grow above the level of the second quarter, in line with the low baseline in the realization of the third quarter of the previous year.

He said the leading indicators for July 2022 also showed stronger activity, such as the manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI), which was recorded at 51.3.

“We are still optimistic about the outlook for (year-on-year) GDP growth of 5.1 percent for the full year,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G. Plate and Hungarian Ambassador to Indonesia Lilla Karsay discussed bilateral cooperation in the digital sector during a meeting on Friday.

“We have discussed various cooperation potentials in the digital sector, including upstream and downstream infrastructure, as well as issues relevant to cyber security, digital talent, and new technologies, such as the 5G technology,” Minister Plate informed after the meeting, which took place at the ministry office here.

The bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Hungary in the digital sector has taken various forms, such as the Hungary-Indonesia Technology Business Forum, the development of digital talents, and visits of delegates from the two countries, the minister highlighted.

“We want to continue the cooperation as the Hungarian delegation is expected to visit Indonesia this August to exchange views on the cooperation potential in the applications and informatics aspects. I welcome this cooperation, particularly as Hungary is a part of the European Union,” he said.

Indonesia is exploring more cooperation potential with Hungary as it is bolstering efforts to enhance digital acceleration and infrastructure development, including the development of government clouds, he added.

“Moreover, Hungary has also offered us cooperation in the digital talent sector, particularly in the advanced-skill digital talent in Hungarian universities to complement the existing cooperation between the ministry and global universities,” Plate said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Karsay pointed out that Hungary and Indonesia have cooperated in two major technology development projects, including the development of water treatment facilities in various regions in Indonesia.

“We have constructed 36 facilities with Hungarian technology that are providing clean water to some 500 thousand residents throughout Indonesia,” Karsay said.

Indonesia and Hungary are also developing a US$300 million electronic payments project with Hungarian technology, she added.

“I believe this will be important for Indonesia’s national strategy, and I am glad we can contribute to Indonesia’s development. We are also developing cooperation in cybersecurity, education, and other aspects, which is consistent with the focus on G20, ASEAN, and the Indo-Pacific region,” the ambassador said.

Source: Antara News

A full membership in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will help Indonesia realize its vision of becoming the world’s third- or fourth-largest economy by 2045 (Advanced Indonesia vision), the Finance Ministry has said.

This was conveyed by head of the ministry’s preparation team for the implementation of the mutual evaluation review by FATF, Muhammad Sigit, during a virtual session on Friday.

He said he expects that a full FATF membership will increase Indonesia’s credibility, thus the trust of the international community in Indonesia will improve, especially in the economic and investment sectors.

“It will facilitate Indonesia to carry out bilateral and multilateral (cooperation), as well as to exchange information for the development of the economy and the prosecution of various financial crimes, especially concerning taxation, customs, and excise,” the minister added.

A full FATF membership is also a manifestation of one of the ideals of the country, as stated in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution, that Indonesia must contribute to the international order, the official said.

He further said that his team strongly supports Indonesia’s bid to immediately become a full member of the FATF, for instance, by carrying out FATF’s recommendations on the management and supervision of the prevention and eradication of money laundering (TPPU).

The Finance Ministry, along with the relevant ministries and institutions, is conducting an assessment of the risk of TPPU in all industries in Indonesia, which will include an audit based on the results of the assessment.

“The methods utilized to carry out the TPPU are very advanced, hence it (handling crimes) needs various suggestions. When Indonesia (only) became an observer (at the FATF), we just attended (the meetings) without being able to convey any information and recommendations,” Sigit added.

Indonesia has just completed the mutual evaluation review, which was carried out on site by FATF assessors from July 18 to August 4, 2022. If Indonesia passes the evaluation, the country can become a full member of the task force.

To date, only 35 countries and two regional organizations have been declared eligible to join the FATF.

Source: Antara News