Indonesia News Gazette

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged Indonesian banks to pay special attention to the potential of the agricultural sector, which has already expanded overseas exports apart from dominating domestic markets.

“Empower the farmers with access to capital, technology innovation, and guidance. I have already spoken with many bank executive directors to give farm (sector) special attention, because this is a chance,” he said from the Presidential Palace in Bogor.

Many Indonesian agricultural commodities have the potential to become superior export products, he noted. Porang, for example, already has a large export market, but requires processing to create value-added products, he said.

This is in accordance with the government’s program to promote the downstream mining policy, President Jokowi said.

“There is a big market we can penetrate, but also that the exports should not be raw, especially in tubers. At least (they should be) in chopped form, or possibly in the form of finished products, or finished porang rice. Our target is downstream mining policy,” he elaborated.

The President also urged regional administrations to develop export-oriented agricultural centers.

Currently, only 293 out of 514 districts and cities in Indonesia have centers for leading export agricultural commodities, he pointed out. The commodities include palm oil, rubber, coffee, and several other commodities that garner the interest of the global market, he added.

“There are still many commodities that have a great potential to be developed, (such as) swallow’s nest, I already mentioned porang, essential oils, which, in recent years, have seen quite a good development. There are also other commodities, (like) jasmine flowers, ornamental plants, edamame, and other horticulture items which, if we really pay attention to, can become good export products,” he said.

On Saturday, President Jokowi also released agricultural commodities from 17 export gates located at airports and ports in Indonesia from the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java.

Source: Antara News

Pontianak, West Kalimantan (ANTARA) – West Kalimantan exported 26.5 tons of durian paste to China during the simultaneous export send-off ceremony at 17 seaports and airports designated as export points nationwide today. “The West Kalimantan province participated in Merdeka Ekspor (Export Freedom) programme by exporting 26.5 tons of durian paste with total export value at Rp1.8 billion (around US$126,000),” West Kalimantan Food and Horticulture Office head Florentinus Anum stated on the export send-off ceremony in Pontianak.

The improvement of production quantity and quality for a potential export commodity such as durian should be continuous, Anum stated.

“West Kalimantan has a lot of potential export commodities. The governor has also reminded us that our exports will increase the commodities’ values and local farmers’ incomes,” he said.

The authority’s assistance to local farmers and cooperation with exporters is essential to ensure market availability and price stability for the farmers and supply availability for the exporters, he noted.

Besides durian, other West Kalimantan local commodities exported overseas under the Merdeka Ekspor programme today were decorative plants, dried grated coconut, palm kernel expeller, coconut milk, areca nuts, rubber, and swallow nest, at the total export value of Rp194.31 billion (around US$13 million).

Earlier, the province has recorded exports of nearly 53 tons of durian, mostly in its frozen form, to China every two months in February, April, and June this year. The province, at present, also has several durian processing factories that could assist in exports in the future, Anum added.

“Based on the data from Pontianak Class I Plant Quarantine Office, a total of 53 tons of durian are exported from West Kalimantan province every two months,” he stated.

As of 2020, the total durian harvest reached 14,672 tons from 1,268 hectares of harvest area, a decline from the previous year harvest of 27,207 tons from a harvest area of 2,851 hectares, Anum informed.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – A 15.79-percent year on year increase in agricultural exports in 2020 has contributed to farmers’ welfare, as seen from the farmer’s exchange rate (NTP), which has continued to improve, President Joko Widodo has said.

“In June 2020, the farmer’s exchange rate was 99.60, and consistently increased to 103.25 in December 2020. Then, in June 2021, the figure reached 103.59. I think this is good news that can spur the enthusiasm of our farmers to stay productive during the pandemic,” he remarked in a press statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday.

The agricultural sector, the President said, is one sector that has been able to survive amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, agricultural exports reached Rp451.8 trillion, an increase of 15.79 percent compared to 2019, when they were recorded at Rp390.16 trillion.

“In the first semester of 2021, January to June, the export value reached Rp282.86 trillion, an increase of 14.05 percent compared to Rp202.05 trillion in the same period of 2020,” he noted.

The President said he has asked regional heads to explore the export potential in their respective regions.

He further said he has asked local governments to connect farmers with supply chains, both at national and global levels. This is to ensure farmers and agricultural business actors can easily export their products, so that these businesses can develop into export-oriented agricultural production centers.

A number of other agricultural commodities that still have the potential to be exported are swiftlet nests, porang (a type of tuber plant), essential oils, jasmine flowers, ornamental plants, edamame, and other horticultural products, he pointed out.

“If we really pay attention. These products will be a good product for us to export, including processed livestock products, which have wider market opportunities,” he said.

Besides increasing production, the President also emphasized the need for farmers to master technology to increase productivity.

“Downstreaming to increase added value, calculate economies of scale by clustering, mechanize product development, and promotion of digital-based products are some of the significant efforts to do. We must develop such efforts so that our agricultural products are more widely known and become more competitive,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) – The Papua administration has urged residents and bureaucrats to join the celebration of Indonesia’s 76th Independence Day by displaying the Red and White flag in front of their homes, shops, and offices.

They have also been encouraged to decorate their neighborhood areas with outdoor decorative flags, assistant to Papua provincial government’s secretary for administrative affairs, Doren Wakerkwa, said here on Saturday.

Displaying the flag is meant to show the nation’s respect for all the men and women who fought for independence, he said while reminding local residents of a circular letter, which has mandated hoisting the flag.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, the simplicity of celebrations is expected not to weaken the spirit of commemorating the country’s Independence day, he said.

The Papua administration will still hold a flag-hoisting ceremony on August 17, 2021 at Jayapura city’s State Building Dok V, but the number of attendants would be restricted, he disclosed.

ANTARA has reported that this year’s Independence Day celebration will be held in Papua and West Papua a month after the House of Representatives (DPR) ratified the bill amending the Papua Special Autonomy Law No.21 of 2001.

The bill that the House members enacted during a plenary session on July 15, 2021 accommodates 18 revised chapters and two new chapters, according to head of the House’s Special Committee for Amending the Papua Special Autonomy Law, Komarudin Watubun.

The enacted bill has accommodated the need to regulate the privileges of indigenous Papuans in the political, education, health, labor, and economic sectors, as well as to support customary communities, he said.

It offers more room to native Papuans to get involved in politics and in such organizations as the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) and Papua legislative councils (DPRK) in districts/cities.

At least 250 seats will now be reserved for native Papuans in district- and city-level Papua legislative councils (DPRK), Watubun disclosed. At the same time, 30 percent of the DPRK seats will be reserved for native Papuan women, he added.

In response to the enactment of the bill, Jayapura city government’s secretary, Frans Pekey, recently said that the renewed Papua special autonomy law will help local governments in Papua to fulfill the basic rights of customary law communities in the province.

Source: Antara News

Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) – Ar-Raniry Islamic State University’s Professor Yusni Sabi has advised the Aceh Provincial Government to maximize the realization of the terms of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of 2005.

The MoU was signed to end the conflict between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), he said.

“We should maximize what we have achieved, and we should perfect what we are yet to achieve since the agreement established peace in Aceh,” Professor Sabi stated in Banda Aceh on Saturday.

He reminded all parties to be grateful for the unbroken peace in Aceh over the past 16 years since the signing of the agreement in Helsinki, Finland on August 15, 2005, officially ended the turbulent 30-year Aceh conflict.

“We need to remember that 30 years of conflict were painful and destructive for Aceh. Goals of our struggle have been secured by the terms of the peace agreement signed on August 15, 2005,” he remarked.

Professor Sabi said he was grateful to the central government for fulfilling the agreement terms by establishing Law No. 11 of 2006 on Aceh Governance (UUPA), ensuring broad autonomy for the province.

The Aceh government should observe the UUPA enforcement on all executive, legislative, and judiciary activities in provincial, district-, and city-level governments and ensure unity among Aceh officials, he added.

“The main point of peace in Aceh is to achieve prosperity for our people, and our leaders should assure this. We have no reason for more conflict at this time,” Sabi remarked.

He called Aceh leaders to unite and realize the peace terms set by the Helsinki MoU and the Aceh Governance Law to achieve Acehnese prosperity and well-being.

“The government should set their main goal to prioritize prosperity, livelihood, and well-being for the Aceh people,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Minister Bintang Puspayoga has emphasized that women’s economic empowerment is central to achieving gender equality and eliminating violence against women.

“Women’s economic powerlessness worsens the unequal power relations between women and men, making many women trapped in a cycle of violence and poverty,” the minister observed while joining the Indonesian Female Journalists Forum, held online, from here on Saturday.

Women’s economic empowerment will help women move up in power relations that have been unbalanced so far and contribute significantly to the welfare of the family and the nation, she said.

To ensure sustainable and competitive business in the future, the ministry is also paying special attention to the digital skills of women entrepreneurs, she informed.

Minister Puspayoga said that several sources have shown that women determine the birth of a quality next-generation.

Women’s leadership can also improve the economy and food security and even open up opportunities for current and future generations, she said, adding that equal and full participation of women and men is key to the welfare of a nation.

In the fight against COVID-19, the minister said women have been the backbone of the recovery process in the community, both socially and economically.

It is essential to jointly promote the importance of empowering women to achieve gender equality not only for women, but also for all levels of society, she added.

According to her, gender norms are not fixed. Still, the challenge that people face in achieving gender equality is the patriarchal culture that has been deeply rooted for centuries, she noted.

“Even so, I believe that nothing is impossible, especially if we work hard and work together,” the minister remarked.

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian government has emphasized that the arrangement of submarine cables and pipelines is aimed at preventing conflicts in sea space utilization.

Assistant deputy for marine and coastal space management at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Muhammad Rasman Manafi, made the remarks during a webinar entitled ‘Maintaining Digital Sovereignty at Sea’, originating from here on Thursday.

He explained that the cables are one of the strategic infrastructures for state revenues.

He also shared a graphic comparing the submarine cables arrangement in Singapore and Indonesia.

“The cables in Singapore are neat, meanwhile ours are unorganized. Hence, we have higher risk to have conflict because of the inadequate arrangement,” he informed.

Conflicts might occur since there are various activities in the waters — fisheries, aquaculture, anchoring, the construction of docks and ports, tourism, as well as minerals exploration, he added.

Hence, it is necessary to have clear submarine cables and pipelines arrangement so marine space can be utilized optimally, the assistant deputy emphasized.

The government formed a steering committee, led by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, in 2020 to conduct the arrangement, he informed.

The committee will determine the corridor lines in 2021 and the submarine cables business process later to encourage investment for the project, he said.

According to the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministerial Regulation Number 14/2021 on Submarine Pipelines and Cables Policy, the government has agreed on a reference map for submarine cable corridors in Indonesian waters. There will be 217 corridor lines, 209 beach main holes, and four landing station locations for in and out cables in Indonesian waters as per the regulation.

Source: Antara News

Ride hailing application company Gojek supports the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises in digitizing 30 million MSMEs by 2024, Gojek Senior Vice President Public Policy and Government Anita Sukarman stated Thursday. “In May 2021, Gojek and the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises signed a cooperation agreement on the use of Gojek application services in the development and empowerment of micro-enterprises to expand the scope of cooperation and the process of digitizing MSMEs,” she said at an online press conference.

To support the ministry in achieving the target of digitizing 30 million MSMEs by 2024, Gojek would start training 5,000 micro-enterprises assisted by the ministry with the number of micro-enterprises undergoing training increasing, she said.

The ministry’s deputy for micro business Eddy Satriya, expressed appreciation for Gojek’s support for the MSMEs so that they could maintain their business amid a pandemic.

With the collaboration between Gojek and the ministry Eddy hoped that the target of digitizing the MSMEs could be achieved, and the program could reach MSME players in underdeveloped areas.

The synergy created between both sides is beneficial to accelerate MSMEs digitization, the ministry’s assistant deputy for business protection Sutarmo added.

Especially during this time, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced all MSME sectors to adapt to the digital world so that their businesses can continue to run, according to Sutarmo.

The challenge in digitizing the MSMEs is that many people still do not understand the digital world and do not have enough knowledge to sell online, he acknowledged.

To overcome that, the collaboration between Gojek and the ministry would also provide MSMEs with education and development to optimize their business needs, Sutarmo said.

Source: Antara News