Indonesia Economy Forum

[Nike]

Trump to seek Indonesia`s agreement on trade commitments
Rabu, 9 November 2016 19:44 WIB | 1.625 Views

Donald Trump. (REUTERS/David Becker)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The US President Elect Donald Trump will want Indonesia to agree to ratify international trade commitments including APEC and the Indonesia-US Strategic Partnership.

"Donald Trump will be interested in making investments in the infrastructure sector, including air, land and sea ports, especially investments that have the potential to lessen the influence of the Peoples Republic of China in South-East Asia," international relations observer from Padjajaran University, Teuku Rezasyah, told ANTARA News in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Teuku Rezasyah added that Donald Trump will potentially urge Indonesia to explain the Free-Active policy adopted by the country in the context of the rivalry between the US and China.

"Considering the importance of investment and trade security, Trump is likely to understand the challenges faced by Indonesia in following human rights principles in the country," he noted.

Republican Donald Trump won over his rival Hillary Clinton, the candidate of the Democratic Party.

Trump was elected as the 45th US President with total electoral votes far above Hillary Clintons.

His victory came as a shock since most surveys had predicted that Hillary Clinton would win the US Presidential contest.
(Uu.KR-ARC/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107712/trump-to-seek-indonesias-agreement-on-trade-commitments

Indonesia, United States relations remain good: President Jokowi
Rabu, 9 November 2016 19:38 WIB | 1.359 Views

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). (ANTARA/Widodo S. Jusuf/P003)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The relations between Indonesia and the United States will remain good, irrespective of who wins the US presidential election, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated.

"Indonesia respects the electoral process in the United States," Jokowi said here on Wednesday.

The president also lauded the choice of the American people.

"We should wait for the final calculations," the president counseled.

The new leader of the United States would not affect the good relations between Indonesia and the US that had been established over the years.

"Our relations will remain good, especially in trade and investment. The US is now the fifth-largest investing country in Indonesia," the president noted.

The BKPM data showed that the United States is categorized as a priority country for marketing investment in Indonesia. In 2015, the value of the United States investment in Indonesia had reached US$893.2 million, covering 261 projects, mostly in the mining sector.

The US investment commitment is recorded at US$4.8 billion across 76 projects.
(Uu.A063/INE/KR-BSR/F001

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1...states-relations-remain-good-president-jokowi

 

[Nike]

Consistency in policy keeps economic growth in positive territory: Minister Sri Mulyani
Rabu, 9 November 2016 14:13 WIB | 1.048 Views

Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (ANTARA/M. Agung Rajasa)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said consistency in economic policy implementation was one factor sustaining the countrys economic growth amid the global economic slowdown.

Consistent policy to keep the momentum of economic growth is strong enough to save the country from the impact of external negative sentiment, the minister said.

Sri Mulyani appreciated the economic performance in the first nine months of the year when the country chalked up a growth of 5.04 percent year-on-year.

"The figure was relatively good compared with other developing economies," she said here on Tuesday.

Consistency in fiscal management and structural reform policy gave confidence for the business players in facing the global challenges, she said.

"The countrys state budget deficit is relative small in comparison with those of other emerging economies. Our macro economic performance, therefore, gives confidence that would reduce speculation and external negative sentiment," she said.

There are, however, a host of challenges to be met including the need to increase government consumption, which decreased in the third quarter of this year and gave less contribution to the economic growth , she said.

"The countrys economic growth was relatively quite good," she said although there were sectors that need serious addressing such as contraction in the government spending in the third quarter as a result of the revision of state budget.

"But it is seasonal that in the fourth quarter would be neutralized," she said.

Anther sector that needs attention is export performance which remains in the doldrums on weak demand amid the global slowdown, although the commodity prices began to pick up, she said.
(Uu.H-ASG/F001)

 

[pr1v4t33r]

One of many face of public transportation in Jakarta today

 

[Nike]

Indonesian govt to give preference to Japan for semi-high speed train
Sabtu, 12 November 2016 06:40 WIB | 831 Views

Minister Budi Karya Sumadi. (ANTARA/Hafidz Mubarak A.)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government will give preference to Japan to build a Jakarta-Surabaya semi-high speed train project, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said.

"Japan will receive preference," he said after a coordination meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs here Friday (Nov. 11).

Despite receiving preference, Japan must continue to meet the qualifications set by the Indonesian government, Sumadi, one-time president director of state airport operator Angkasa Pura II, said.

He made it clear that at the coordination meeting with Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, National Development Planning Minister/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Head Bambang Brodjonegoro and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani the government decided to expedite the construction of the semi-high speed train project.

The government will soon complete a plan for the construction of semi-high speed train line and will discuss it with Japan in the next few months, he said.

Meanwhile, Bambang said at the meeting the government still had to assess the semi-high speed train project.

"We are still discussing and whether the project will use an ordinary loan scheme, government project, or private sector participation scheme," he said.

(Reported by Ade Irma Junida/Uu.S012/INE/KR-BSR/A014)

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1...preference-to-japan-for-semi-high-speed-train

PLN to resume work on 17 stalled power projects
Sabtu, 12 November 2016 03:54 WIB | 866 Views

President Director of PT PLN (Persero) Sofyan Basir. (ANTARA/Puspa Perwitasari)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesias state power firm PT PLN (Persero) would resume work at 17 of the 34 power plant development projects that have remained stalled for the last seven to eight years, its president director, Sofyan Basir, has said.

The decision to resume the work was taken after the company evaluated all the projects in terms of location, audit and recalculation by experts.

"We will terminate some projects which do not have any possible solution, and resume 17 projects. Some projects involve legal and financial issues and we have to observe these locations one by one," Sofyan stated here on Friday.

The power plants was undertaken based on the Presidential Decree 4/2016 to expedite power infrastructure development by taking into account cost and benefit.

While budget for the projects would come from state-run companies and private firms that had won the bids, some of it would be covered by PLN.

"There are some state-owned companies. We will work in cooperation with them as also with PLNs subsidiaries to find solutions (to the issue of funding). The aim is not to earn profit but how to curb potential losses to minimum," he pointed out.

He expected that the PLN would need some Rp1 trillion (US$76 million) for the 17 power plant projects.

Previously, Sofyan had said the company could not resume development work on 12 of its 34 stalled power plant projects.

Work on project development was halted due to factors such as inaccurate planning or land. In some cases, land was unsuitable as it was either peat land or sites were too remote.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) disclosed that he would lodge a complaint with the Commission for Corruption Eradication (KPK) against executors of the projects, especially those which could not be resumed.

"Trillions of rupiahs worth of funds were involved, and it should not be allowed to happen anymore. I can see that one or two projects could not be continued because everything was already rusted. There has to be certainty about these projects," the president stressed.

(Reported by Yashinta Difa/Uu.S022/INE/KR-BSR/A014)

 

[acelaw]

Jakarta Underconstruction Railways
All planned opening in 2018/2019

Jakarta MRT | Sumitomo | Japan

Jakarta LRT | INKA | Indonesia

Jakarta Airport Railway | Bombardier | Sweden

Jakarta Airport Inter-terminal Link | Woojin | South Korea

Jakarta-Bandung HSR | CSR | China

 

[pr1v4t33r]

Indonesia Exports, Imports Grow in October, Their Best Month Since 2014

Indonesia's exports and imports both increased in October after months of deterioration from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said on Tuesday (15/11).

A Reuters poll had forecast growth for both exports and imports, following a long period in which both shrank on an annual basis.

The bureau said Indonesia exported $12.68 billion of products in October, up 4.60 percent from a year ago, versus the 4.29 percent growth expected in the poll. October's pace of growth was the strongest since August 2014.

Imports were $11.47 billion, up for the first time in 25 months, by 3.27 percent, and also the strongest since August 2014. The poll had forecast an increase of 4.90 percent. October's trade surplus was $1.21 billion, slightly smaller than September's revised $1.27 billion.

Low commodity prices have hurt Indonesia's export earnings for years, in turn affecting everything from company profits, government revenue and people's purchasing power.

Suhariyanto, the head of the statistics bureau, said the recent rise in prices of some of Indonesia's main commodities helped exports to recover.

http://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesia-exports-imports-grow-october-best-month-since-2014/


Indonesia Trade Surplus Totaled $1.21 Billion in October; Beating Forecast

Indonesia continued to book a healthy trade surplus in October thanks to a rebound in commodity prices, official data showed Tuesday.

The official Central Statistics Agency said the trade surplus was $1.21 billion in October, relatively steady compared with $1.22 billion a month earlier.

The statistics agency said exports rose 4.6% from a year ago, and 0.9% from a month earlier, to $12.68 billion on higher coal, rubber, and crude palm-oil prices.

Imports came in at $11.47 billion, rising 3.3% from a year earlier and 1.6% from September, the agency said. The increase was mainly driven by machinery and electrical appliance inward shipment, which rose 6.3% from a month earlier.

A healthy trade surplus will likely help keep Indonesia's current-account deficit at a sustainable level, supporting the rupiah before a possible U.S.Federal Reserve rate increase next month and at a time of global uncertainty after the victory of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/indon...on-in-october-beating-forecast-20161115-00002

 

[kaka404]

IAEA assigns Indonesia to be plant breeding center
15 November 2016 09:54 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assigns the Indonesian National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) to be a radiation mutation plant breeding center in Southeast Asia region.

"IAEA has a huge attention to the mutation plant breeding, and therefore we assign Batan to be the center as it is highly skilled in that field," an IAEA representative, Stephen Nielen, said here on Monday.

He hoped the assignment of Batan to be a center for radiation mutation plant breeding could be a way for technology transfer to the developing country.

The nuclear technology has been intensively applied in Indonesia by using the gamma ray.

The objective of the radiation mutation plant breeding is to fix the genetic characteristics in order to improve plants productivity and immunity to pests.

The radiation method has a significant advantage compared with other techniques because the breeds have various characteristics.

"Batan has produced 22 rice varieties, ten soybean varieties, two varieties of green beans, three varieties of sorghum, and one variety of wheat," Batans head Djarot Wisnubroto pointed out.

Currently, the bean variety is being tested and assessed by a team of the Agricultural Ministry.

Meanwhile, the rice varieties have been planted in 24 provinces to support the governments national food self-sufficiency and the sorghum varieties have been apploied in several marginal and arid lands.

"Batan is also successful to improve local paddy plants genetic characteristics, including the age of harvesting, immunity and adaptability," Djarot said.

IAEA also considers Batans Isotope and Radiation Application Center has met international standards.

Currently, Batan is providing a workshop on radiation mutation plant breeding to young researchers from Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Tanzania.(*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107819/iaea-assigns-indonesia-to-be-plant-breeding-center

more work for BATAN
http://www.batan.go.id/index.php/en/

 

[Svantana]

Mr.President at Garuda Maintenance Facility GMF.

 

[pr1v4t33r]

 

[pr1v4t33r]

Garuda Indonesia named Most Improved Airline
Garuda Indonesia has been named Most Improved Airline by AirlineRatings.com, an independent plane safety and product rating website, for its improvements in service and safety.

AirlineRatings.com appears to have taken notice of the national flag carrier’s improvements over the last five years. Garuda has also refurbished its airplanes and been cleared to fly to Europe and the US.

Garuda corporate communications vice president Benny S. Butarbutar said the award “reassures the hard work and process of improving Garuda services for its passengers”, as quoted by kompas.com on Monday. “In fact, toward the future, this award will be a challenge that will have to be overcome with more innovations that will add value to Garuda Indonesia."

- http://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2016/11/15/garuda-indonesia-named-most-improved-airline.html
- http://www.airlineratings.com/

 

[katarabhumi]

Indonesia reaps rewards with prestigious honour

17 November 2016

Disaster tourism has become more common in Indonesia, where visitors are drawn to sites of earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions to witness the aftermath of catastrophes or simply do some soul-searching.

Indonesia received a prestigious appreciation from China Travel and Leisure media, entitled The Famous Next Travel Destination Award.

The award was received by the ministry's secretary Ukus Kuswara and deputy assistant marketing development for Asia Pacific region Vincensius Jemadu in the 10th Anniversary China Travel and Leisure Award event held in Shanghai, China.

“The award is very meaningful as it was given by Chinese media which increasingly understand about the potentials of the new destinations or next destinations.

“The award gives us more confidence to welcome more visitors from China,” Ukus said in his remarks in the event as quoted by the statement.

Ukus added that the next destination award would be very useful for Indonesia as Indonesia has regarded China as one of the most potential markets in the nation's tourism sector.

As of September, Chinese visitors have lead the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia, surpassing those from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Japan and South Korea which have been dominating Indonesia's foreign visitors figure in the past, Ukus added. The award was based on tremendous figure of Chinese visitors coming to Indonesia throughout this year that apparently have shifted the domination of visitors from other countries, According to Ukus.

Besides that, the orchestrated effort conducted by Indonesian government to reform the tourism sector was also highly appreciated by the media, Ukus said.

Through reform movement in the sector, Indonesia's related ministries and agencies combine their strategic moves to enhance national tourism sector which has been declared as the nation's core business.

Among the moves were to simplify regulation for cruise ships and yachts to enter into the nation's waters, increasing number of countries included in free visa regime up to 169 at present and digitalizing the management in tourism sector.

To facilitate transport for foreign visitors, Indonesia also intensifies cooperation with foreign authorities related to direct flights from their airports to Indonesia's.

Tourism ministry also initiated 100 000 homestay program for locals residing around tour destination sites so as to create direct positive economy impacts of the tourism sector to the people. Indonesia has targeted 20 million foreign visitors by 2019, or double than 10 million ones it received last year.

The tourism sector is expected to earn more than $24-billion by 2019. To accomplish the target, government is now developing ten new tour destination sites across the archipelago nation, designed to par with resort island of Bali which has been favoured by foreign visitors.

Xinhua

http://www.iol.co.za/travel/indonesia-reaps-rewards-with-prestigious-honour-2090791

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Indonesia markets fisheries products to US

17 November 2016

Prime commodities – Fishermen net shrimp and fish in shallow waters on a Banda Aceh beach in Aceh on Oct. 29. (Antara/Irwansyah Putra)

The US has become a large potential market for Indonesia’s fisheries products, especially frozen prawns. As of October, Indonesia had exported 87.33 million kilograms of the product worth US$827.26 million to the country, an official has said.

“Frozen prawns are one of the important foreign exchange sources for Indonesia,” the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s fishery product safety and certification center head, Widodo Sumiyanto, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He added that frozen prawns accounted for 62 percent of Indonesian fisheries products exported to the US in 2016. “Tuna ranks second,” said Widodo.

Citing data, he stated that 166 of 592 medium and large fish processing units in Indonesia processed frozen prawns, with the biggest units located in East Java, Jakarta, Lampung and Serang in Banten.

Separately, Indonesian Fisheries Product Processing and Marketing Association (AP5I) head Budhi Wibowo said annual exports of prawns by Indonesia to the US amounted to 115,000 tons — 20 percent of total US prawn imports, which reached 550,000 tons.

“This makes Indonesia rank second among the biggest prawn exporters to the US. It is also probable that this year, Indonesia will rank first,” Budhi told the Post.

“We have always produced and exported fisheries products that fulfill food safety standards adopted internationally,” he said.

Budhi added that based on his association’s data, the percentage of Indonesian prawns rejected by the US had continued to decline from year to year, reaching only around 0.05 percent of a total 115,000 tons of prawns exported to the country.

“Of a total 10,000 containers shipped to the US, only four containers were rejected, on average,” said Budhi. (ebf)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/11/17/indonesia-markets-fisheries-products-to-us.html

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[katarabhumi]

Indonesia on course to rice self-sufficiency after weathering slump caused by El Nino
November 17, 2016 13:30 SGT
By Bihu Ray

After facing the brunt of El Nino, the warm sea current responsible for bringing dry spell in the equatorial Pacific region, farming situation in Indonesia seems to have eased off.

The Southeast Asian nation has survived the unfavourable condition for the last one year and finally is able to produce enough rice, which is the country's staple, for the domestic market.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Wednesday, while addressing people at the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) headquarters in Cilodong, that the country's national rice stock has improved drastically. He said that this year Indonesia produced 1.98 million tonnes (till October) which is several notches higher than last year's production, which was at 1.03 million tonnes.

This quantity of production also releases the country from the burden of import. Earlier Indonesia used to import tonnes of rice by year-end.

"I can assure you that there will be no [rice] imports until the end of the year," said Jokowi attributing the achievement to favourable weather conditions, according to The Jakarta Post.

The news website also reported the government imported 425,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand and Vietnam through the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) in 2014.

History of rice production

Indonesia is the world's third-largest rice producer, where approximately 77 percent of farmers cultivate the grain. Moreover, the government has come up with several schemes, like Rice transmigration scheme, to secure production. However, rice production in the country is often hard hit by El Nino and sometimes soil erosion in higher slopes.

Other than a prolonged dry spell over the equatorial Pacific region, El Nino is also responsible for the reversal of wind pattern in the region, drought in Australia and unseasonal heavy rain in South America.

In 2014, when Jokowi was elected to power, he promised the public rice self-sufficiency by 2017.

http://www.ibtimes.sg/indonesia-cou...after-weathering-slump-caused-by-el-nino-4750

 

[pr1v4t33r]

Revitalization progress of PLBN Entikong (Indonesia - Malaysia cross-border station)

Inilah PLBN (Pos Lintas Batas Negara) di Entikong, Kalimantan Barat yang perkembangannya sudah 90% lebih. Dengan desain yang mengadopsi arsitektur lokal terutama dari kebudayaan Dayak, kemegahan PLBN Entikong yg dibangun WIKA ini sangat bisa dibanggakan sebagai beranda terdepan bangsa Indonesia.

Before

 

[Nike]

Private business debts continue to plunge: BI
Sabtu, 19 November 2016 19:18 WIB | 838 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian central bank, Bank Indonesia (BI), has reported that private business debts dropped by 2.7 percent in the third quarter of 2016, compared to the same period of 2015 year-on-year (yoy).

The downward trend reflects a continuation of the 2.3 percent decline in the second semester of 2016.

External debts of the private sector at the end of the third quarter of 2016 were recorded at US$163.1 billion or about 50.1 percent of Indonesias total external debts valued at US$325.3 billion, according to a press statement of BI here on Saturday.

"Private sectors external debts went down 2.7 percent yoy in the third quarter of 2016, more than the decline in the previous quarter," Executive Director of BIs Communication Department, Tirta Segara, said.

He stated that most of the external debts of private businesses came from such fields as financial sector, processing industry, mining, electricity, gas and clean water.

These sectors accounted for 76.6 percent of the total external debts.

Compared with that in the second semester of 2016, the annual growth of external debt in processing industry, electricity, gas and clean water was slowing down. The same was true of the mining and financial sectors which remain stressed. The external debts of the government were US$162.2 billion or 49.9 percent of the total external debts. The governments foreign loans increased 20.8 percent yoy, higher than the 2016 second quarter growth of 17.9 percent yoy. (*)

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107899/private-business-debts-continue-to-plunge-bi

 

[Nike]

Prambanan to launch Banyunibo kampong tourism promotion in December
Minggu, 20 November 2016 19:30 WIB | 142 Views

Photo document of travelers visiting the temple Banyunibo in Bokoharjo, Sleman, Yogyakarta (DIY). Buddhist-style temple that has one main temple and six ancillary temple was built in the ninth century, and was rediscovered in 1940 and then completely refurbished in the parent section in 1978. (ANTARA/Aditya Pradana Putra)

Sleman (ANTARA News) - The Prambanan sub-district administration will launch Banyunibo kampong tourism promotion in Cepit, Bokoharjo village, Sleman District, Yogyakarta, on December 10, 2016.

"The launch will be highlighted with an exhibition promoting tourism potential of Prambanan sub-district," Prambanan Sub-district Head Abu Bakar said here, Sunday.

Among tourism attractions to be promoted are Banyunibo Temple and Banyunibo waterfall.

"There are many other cultural heritage sites such as the temples of Ijo, Barong, Banyunibo, Miri, and Boko Queen. Besides, there are many nature-based tourism destinations. Natural scenery seen from hilly area is also fantastic here," he noted.

"Spot Riyadi" tour agencys owner, Riyadi said the number of domestic and foreign tourists have increased significantly.

"We have operated since two years ago, and its always full particularly during fine weather as tourists want to enjoy views of sunset and sunrise," he said.
(Uu.F001)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1...nyunibo-kampong-tourism-promotion-in-december