Day: December 5, 2022

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin stated here on Monday that the government’s decision to import rice aimed to anticipate a shortage in national rice stocks.

“It is true that the government has taken anticipatory efforts when it comes to rice. If (the stock) runs low, (then we will) import (rice). However, if (the stock) is sufficient, (we) will not import (rice),” he noted .

The government has, so far, made every effort to boost the implementation of the food crops intensification program, he remarked.

Amin said during his visit to South Sulawesi, he received a report that the local government had conducted an intensification program to boost rice production, ranging from preparing seeds to cultivating farm land.

Through the program, the South Sulawesi provincial government managed to increase rice production by up to 250 thousand tons this year.

“Admittedly, it (the program) is not successful in some regions. However, according to the report, it (the rice production target) will likely be met, although rice fields in several regions were flooded,” he remarked.

Hence, the government continued to assess the national rice stocks to ensure they are sufficient to meet the country’s needs, he stated.

The government has tasked the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) with importing rice to secure the national stocks that currently stood at 594 thousand tons.

“A decision has been reached at a limited coordination meeting. At the meeting, all relevant ministers agreed to the decision. Bulog only realizes the order or assignment,” Bulog president director Budi Waseso noted during a recent meeting at the parliament building in Jakarta.

At the meeting, Bulog was assigned to secure rice stocks under the Supply Availability and Price Stabilization (KPSH) Program or market operation, with the aim of intervening in rice prices and fulfilling needs in the event of an extraordinary occurrence.

The latest decision mandates Bulog to buy 500 thousand tons of rice from local farmers and import 500 thousand tons of rice in order to secure national stocks.

Since 500 thousand tons of domestic rice is not available, Bulog has ordered 500 thousand tons of imported rice that can be shipped to Indonesia anytime, he remarked.

Source: Antara News

The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture’s official, Agus Suprapto, zeroed in on the problem of management in the efforts to reduce stunting.

“If our stunting (prevalence) figure is still at 24.4 percent, theoretically, there is a management problem in the public gate (and) not a biomedical problem,” he remarked.

If the stunting prevalence is 10 percent below, then there may be a biomedical problem, he remarked during the National Technical Coordination Meeting for the Acceleration of Stunting Reduction held in a hybrid format, Monday.

However, if the stunting rate is above 20 percent, then it means there is a management problem on the field, he explained.

Nonetheless, Indonesia still has the opportunity to change this if it can utilize convergence enhancement to expedite stunting reduction. Reduction by 3 to 3.5 percent per year is still possible, he noted.

“I am optimistic that if we can act and work together, (then) we can achieve the (prevalence) figure of 14 percent (in 2024). This year, we should aim for 18 (percent) if we can,” he remarked.

However, in the effort to reduce stunting, Indonesia cannot force itself because it must take into account various socio-cultural problems plaguing each region, Suprapto said.

To this end, flexibility in the implementation of Presidential Regulation No. 72 of 2021 should be adjusted in accordance with the local culture, he stated.

The ministry has organized integrated assistance in 12 priority provinces and 49 districts or cities. The 12 provinces are regions with the highest prevalence and stunting cases in Indonesia.

These provinces can have a stunting prevalence figure of up to 60-70 percent. However, the ministry’s activity in these provinces is expected to inspire other districts and provinces to resolve stunting, he stated.

Suprapto remarked that during the assistance activity, the ministry came across several issues including the lack of universities and regional partners’ involvement as well as coordination that had not become a routine, which necessitates thematic coordination and coordinators.

There is also the lack of Regional Governmental Apparatus Organization’s (OPD’s) involvement in planning and data coordination.

Source: Antara News

Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga has called for greater contribution from women in efforts to promote electrical energy utilization, saying they cannot remain at the end of the chain as mere consumers.

“Women cannot just remain as objects, but as subjects. It’s the same with the utilization or conversion of electricity; we women can’t just be consumers, but (need to get) involved, for example, in production, technique, or policy,” she explained in a statement  on Monday.

Puspayoga said she is optimistic that there is potential for women’s contribution in this aspect, including through the use of electric vehicles.

“This electric motorbike can be very safe and comfortable, fitting for both men and women, because it is very light to carry. The information outreach on the conversion or transfer of fuel energy to electrical energy needs to be made more massive for women. This is a very good solution for all people and our environment going forward,” she added.

In addition, the negative stigma around women dabbling in the automotive world and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) must also be eradicated.

“When it comes to machinery, there is a stigma that women cannot (get involved), despite there being many female mechanical engineers. Hopefully, we will start to erase this kind of stigma,” the minister said.

Minister Puspayoga, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif; Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Teten Masduki; Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Pahala Mansury; Deputy Governor of West Java, Uu Ruzhanul Ulum; and director of commerce and retail at PT PLN, Edi Srimulyati, participated in the “Electric Vehicle (EV) Fun Event Day” hosted by Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to promote EV use.

State officials and members of the motorbike community drove electric vehicles on the roads of Bandung city, West Java. Their 9.1-km route on the main road started from the Geological Museum and ended at Gedung Sate.

Source: Antara News

Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun has invited Hong Kong investors to expand their businesses in Indonesia.

“Come to and invest in Indonesia. Otherwise, you will be late,” the ambassador said following a meeting with businesspersons and investors in Hong Kong on Sunday.

At the meeting, Oratmangun outlined a number of investment opportunities for Hong Kong businesspersons, including the development of the new Indonesian capital in East Kalimantan on the green city concept.

Other investment opportunities include mineral resource downstreaming, the lithium battery industry, transportation, renewable energy, health infrastructure, and digital transformation, he said.

“But these all must continue to pay attention to the principles of local worker employment, environment friendly, value-added, and commitment to technological transfer,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong-based Indonesian Consul General Ricky Suhendar underlined the Indonesian government’s commitment to continuing the agenda of structural reform, deregulation, and debureaucratization in the investment sector.

The Indonesian government will ensure legal certainty and improve the ease of doing business and investment in the country, he said.

“Of course, the investment opportunities that we offer have specialty for Hong Kong since Hong Kong is the second-largest foreign investor in Indonesia,” he said without further elaborating on his statement.

Source: Antara News