GOVT TO BOOST DEVELOPMENT OF FERTLIZER INDUSTRY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 31 (Antara) -- Indonesian farmers need some 14 million tons of subsidized fertilizers annually, whereas the government's allocation still accounts for only 9.55 million tons, leaving a shortage of 4.45 million tons.              Therefore, the government continues to encourage the development of the fertilizer industry, particularly as this commodity is a decisive factor in the government's efforts to achieve national food resilience.              Industry Minister Saleh Husin said that the government's efforts to boost the fertilizer industry to achieve national food resilience is in line with President Joko Widodo's idea of Nawacita, a Sanskrit term for nine national priority development programs.              According to the public relations manager of state-owned fertilizer company PT Petrokimia Gresik, Yusuf Wibisono, of the 9.55 million tons of government-allocated fertilizer, 4.1 million tons are urea fertilizer, 850 thousand tons are SP-36 fertilizer, 1.050 million tons are ZA fertilizer, 2.55 million tons are NPK fertilizer, and one million tons are organic fertilizer.

GOVERNMENT RAISES FUEL OIL PRICES AGAIN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 28 (Antara) - The government has raised the prices of premium gasoline and diesel fuel by Rp500 per liter, respectively, which is effective on Saturday, March 28.          The prices of premium gasoline were raised from Rp6,800 to Rp7,300 per liter for regions outside Java, Madura and Bali (Jamali), and from Rp6,900 to R7,400 for regions in Jamali.          The government also hiked the price of subsidized diesel oil from Rp6,400 per liter to Rp6,900 per liter both for regions inside and outside Java, Madura and Bali.          "Both types of fuel prices have been increased by Rp500 per liter," I Gusti Nyoman Wiratmaja, acting director general of oil and gas, said while announcing the price hikes on Friday.          This was the second time that the government raised the gasoline and diesel oil prices in March after increasing them earlier on March 1.

INDONESIAN GOVT PRIORITIZES RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 27 (Antara) - The Indonesian Government is focusing on the development of renewable energy and other alternative sources in the face of the depletion of its fossil-based fuel energy reserves.          In an effort to develop alternative sources and renewable energy, the government is turning its attention to developing, among other factors, solar energy and energy from processed urban wastes, industrial refuse, vegetables, and plantations.          Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Sudirman Said has stated that the government will seriously implement its program to produce renewable energy from vegetables.         "The program to generate renewable energy from vegetables is one of our priorities. We hope the mandatory program can generate 1.57 million kiloliters of energy from vegetable wastes," the minister said recently.          According to Said, President Joko Widodo has put forth an idea for managing displaced land in Indonesia. "Displaced land should be made use of for the green diesel development program by opening energy plantations at those locations," he stated.          The minister further noted that extraordinary support will be needed from the government, private sector, and farmers to expedite the green diesel development program.          Besides exploring and implementing energy generation programs, the government has also issued a policy raising its mandatory biofuel mix of diesel from 10 percent (B10) to 15 percent (B15).

INDONESIA MAKING ARRESTS ON ALLEGED ISIS ACTIVISTS

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, March 26 (Antara) - Indonesia has over the past few days raised the alert over the activities of ISIS sympathizers, mapped out suspicious locations and arrested suspected members.          The government is tightening control in the country over the activities of supporters or followers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after it learnt that some 500 Indonesian citizens have joined the radical group.          Moreover, 16 Indonesian citizens have also been arrested in Turkey for alleged plans to cross into Syria to join the ISIS.          The 16 Indonesians were caught when they were trying to cross into Syria from a Turkish border city without proper documents.         Besides that, at least 514 Indonesians have joined the ISIS, according to Deputy Chairman of Commission I on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives Tubagus Hasanudin.      Therefore, Indonesian anti-terrorism police officers are now tightening control on suspicious activities of the group in Indonesia and they are arresting suspected ISIS activists.

INDONESIA RAISES BIOFUEL USE TO REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL IMPORTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 24 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has raised its biofuel mix of diesel fuel oil from 10 percent (B10) to 15 percent (B15) in an effort to save US$2.54 billion per annum on fossil fuel imports.          The B15 mandatory policy will be implemented by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (ESDM) from April 1, as part of efforts to support the government's macroeconomic policy.          "This is one of the fundamental changes being implemented in the energy sector. The composition of the energy mix has been gradually shifted from dependence on fossil fuel to new and renewable sources of energy (EBT)," ESDM Minister Sudirman Said stated here on Monday.          The minister said that the policy, which is contained in the ESDM minister's regulation number 12/2015, will have broad implications, such as the absorption of 5.3 million kiloliters of biodiesel, which is some 4.8 million tons of the country's crude palm oil (CPO) production, and the retrenchment of US$2.54 billion of foreign exchange from fossil fuel import cuts.          If successful, the biofuel mix will be increased to 20 percent (B20) in 2016, for instance, when the use of the mix is expected to reach 8 million kiloliters.          The 15 percent increase in the use of biofuel mix is part of the government's newly announced economic policy package.

OBSERVERS DOUBT EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVT'S POLICY PACKAGE

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 24 (Antara) - Some economic observers have raised doubts about the effectiveness of the recent government's economic structural reform policy package implemented to control fluctuations of the rupiah currency against the US dollar.          On Monday, last week, the government issued an economic policy package aimed at improving the performance of Indonesia's trade balance and services trade balance, which had become the dominant contributors to the country's current account deficit.          The government economic structural reform policy package comprises policies on tax allowance, anti-dumping import duties, visa-free facility, the use of 15 percent biofuel mix,  the application of Letter of Credits for mining companies, and the restructuring of domestic reinsurance firms.          Economic political observer Ichsanuddin Noorsy pointed out that the government's economic policy package was not adequate to strengthen the rupiah value to a stable level.          "Even though the government implements the economic policy package, the rupiah currency will remain under turmoil," noted Noorsy.

INDONESIA CAN ACHIEVE RICE SELF-SUFFICIENCY THIS YEAR By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 21 (Antara) -- The government has predicted that Indonesia will achieve its rice self-sufficiency target this year, much earlier than President Joko Widodo's former goal of reaching this milestone in the next three years.          "We are confident that we will achieve rice self-sufficiency this year. Recalculations revealed that the national need for rice is only 28 million tons per annum. So we will be able to achieve the target this year," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here on Friday.          Calculations made by the Ministry of Agriculture had found that the per capita consumption of rice in Indonesia is 124 kilograms per annum. So the government based its rice production target on per capita consumption of 124 kilograms.          However, following the joint assessment conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and the Ministry of Trade, it was found that Indonesia's per capita consumption of rice is only 114 kilograms per annum.         So based on this figure of 114 kilograms, Indonesia will be able to become self-sufficient in rice production this year, much before the three-year target earlier set by President Joko Widodo.

GOVERNMENT URGED TO TIGHTEN CONTROL OVER ISIS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 20 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has been urged to tighten its control over Indonesians traveling abroad and to monitor suspicious activities of residents at home to prevent them from joining Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).          Deputy Chairman of Commission I, which oversees foreign affairs, of the House of Representatives (DPR), Tubagus Hasanudin revealed that at least 514 Indonesians have joined the terrorist group ISIS.          Despite the ISIS influence in Indonesia not yet posing a factual threat, however, the Indonesian National Police has warned Indonesian citizens to exercise caution. It has appealed to the people of the country to be wary of irresponsible parties who persuade them to join ISIS.          "We appeal to all national elements to spread awareness among the younger generation of the country, so that they are not tempted to go abroad and join ISIS without a clear mission," National Police Public Relations Spokesman Brigadier General Anton Charliyan emphasized here on Friday.

GOVT NEEDS TO DEVELOP SMALL, MEDIUM BUSINESSES SERIOUSLY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 19 (Antara) -- The government needs to develop its small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are the pillars of the country's economy, with the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).          Experts believe that Indonesia's small and medium enterprises are not yet well-developed and need assistance from the government to overcome the numerous constraints they face.          According to Indrasari Tjandraningsih from the Senior Research Centre for Social Analysis (AKATIGA), the development of SMEs in the country still faces internal and external obstacles, which make it difficult for businesses in the sector to survive, grow and thrive.          "Based on the result of a research, SMEs face problems related to professional management, among others, as part of internal constraints. With regard to external constraints, they lack comprehensive and integrated data, while their information distribution system is also inadequate," Tjandraningsih said on Tuesday.          She revealed this in a discussion on "Promoting SMEs and Indonesian Economic Development" held in cooperation with the AKATIGA, the RAND Corporation and the National Team to Accelerate Poverty Reduction (TNP2K).

RI OFFERS VISA-FREE FACILITY TO 45 COUNTRIES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 17 (Antara) - Going all out to promote tourism and to meet its target to receive 10 million foreign tourists this year, Indonesia has offered visa-free facilities to 45 countries.          While the visa-free facility was earlier open to only 15 countries, the government is currently working on plans to extend the facility to 30 more countries in the American, European, Asian, and African continents.          Thus, the number of countries whose citizens will enjoy visa-free visits to Indonesia will total 45.          The Indonesian Government wants to expand the scope of its visa-free policy in order to promote the tourism sector, Coordinating Minister for Economics Sofyan Djalil said Friday.          "We already have a visa-free policy for the citizens of fifteen countries. We will soon add four more countries to the list: China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia," he added.          According to Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya, the four countries were earlier proposed to be added on the list.          However, the number was later increased to 30 countries, taking the total number of beneficiaries of the policy to 45, including the 15 existing free visa recipients.          "We believe this facility will benefit us by attracting more foreign tourists. The easy way to increase tourist visits is to provide free visas," the Tourism Minister emphasized.          "There are 15 countries that are already enjoying the free-visa facility. With the additional 30 countries, we will be providing the facility to 45 nations," asserted the Tourism Minister.

BADUY LAND NEEDS PROMOTIONS TO ATTRACT FOREIGN TOURISTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 16 (Antara) - The culture tourism in the land of the Baduy Tribe who still live in virgin forests in Banten Province needs to be further developed and promoted to attract foreign tourists.          Located some 40 km southeast of Serang, provincial capital of Banten, the Baduy Land covers 5,100 hectares and is populated by about 5,000 to 6,000 isolated Baduy tribesmen.          The uniqueness of the Baduy tribe is its firmness in upholding their ancestors' traditions and its rejection of all kinds of modern life, despite the fact that the Land of Banduy is not far from the metropolitan city of Jakarta and Bandung, where modernity is gaining fast progress.          The Land of Baduy is therefore has the potential to be cultivated and developed as a culture tourism, without the need to change or disturb the way of life of the Baduy people.          For instance,  the tourism site of the isolated Baduy tribe in the Kendeng mountainous area, Leuwidamar Subdistrict, Banten, can become an international tourism destination and attract foreign tourists if properly developed.

INQUIRY SOUGHT AFTER MINISTER'S DECISION ON GOLKAR

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 15 (Antara) - The internal conflict of the Golkar Party protracted after its tribunal did not take a decision on the legitimate of one of the party's dual leaderships.          The Golkar Party splintered into two camps last December, between Abrurizal Bakrie, elected as leader at the Bali congress, and Agung Laksono who emerged as leader at the Jakarta's Ancol congress.          Aburizal Bakrie has earlier filed a lawsuit with the West Jakarta District Court to challenge the leadership of Laksono, yet the court rejected it as the Golkar Tribunal was expected to resolve the squabble.          However, the tribunal failed to take a final decision, leaving the case to be dealt with at the Attorney General's Office (AGO). After all, the Bakrie camp has also filed a cessation with the AGO.

POPULARITY OF GEMSTONES RISES IN INDONESIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 14 (Antara) -- Over the last few months, precious stones have been seen gaining popularity in Indonesia, with gemstone lovers across the country scurrying to buy the rocks.          So it comes as no surprise that gemstone traders offering various kinds of precious stones are found not only in modern malls, traditional markets, roadsides and places frequented by customers, but also in events such as communal gatherings.          Exhibitions and online retail websites have also become effective platforms to sell gemstones, where transactions worth billions of rupiah are carried out.          For instance, a natural stone exhibition held in Aceh province this week concluded a transaction of Rp7 billion.          Websites that provide sales services also capitalize on the country's booming precious stone market. Bukalapak.com, for example, can book hundreds of millions of rupiah in gemstones transactions per day.

GOVT TAKES SPEEDY ACTIONS OVER STARVING ISOLATED TRIBE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 12 (Antara) - The death of 11 isolated forest tribesmen due to starvation has prompted the government to take speedy actions to safeguard 3,850 forest people living in Bukit Duabelas National Park in Jambi Province, Sumatra.          "The government will act fast and gather data needed for providing solutions to the problem being faced by  the isolated tribal community in Jambi," Hartono Laras, the director general of the Social Empowerment and Poverty Handling Affairs of the Ministry of Social Affairs, said in Jakarta on Wednesday.          It was reported earlier that thousands of forest people living in Bukit Duabelas National Park of Sarolangun-Batanghari District, Jambi Province, have been starving due to lack of food.          Manager of the People's Empowering Program of the Indonesian Conservation Community (KKI Warsi) Robert Aritonang remarked that forest people, also locally known 'Kubu'or 'Suku Anak Dalam' (SDA) or 'Orang Rimba,' were facing food shortage after some companies have cleared land in their forests to plant oil palms.

GOVT ASSIGNS COOPERATIVES TO DISTRIBUTE FERTILIZERS TO FARMERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 11 (Antara) - The government hopes that farmers will not run short of subsidized fertilizers after it increases the role of cooperatives in the supply of the commodity.          Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga said the role of cooperatives as the distributors of agricultural commodity will be revived.          The minister noted that cooperatives as the pillar of the nation's economy played the role of a distribution center that makes available stocks such as fertilizers, seeds, and business capital.         "Admittedly, there are many obstacles to restore their role, particularly of the Village Cooperative Units (KUD). Not all of them can serve as distributors. Therefore, we will reorganize and develop them in stages," the minister stated during his working visit to Malang, East Java, last Saturday.          Minister Puspayoga added that cooperatives have been assigned to act as the distributors and retailers of subsidized fertilizers.          On the occasion, the cooperatives minister was accompanied by Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel.

GOLKAR ENTERS NEW PHASE OF INTERNAL SQUABBLES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 11 (Antara) - The former political machinery of the New Order government, the Golkar Party, entered a new phase of internal squabbles after Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly recognized one of its feuding factions on Tuesday.          "After receiving a decision from the party's tribunal and studying it carefully, we decided to go with the party's tribunal decision to give recognition to the Central Executive Board formed in the Ancol congress in Jakarta," Laoly said in a news conference here on Tuesday.          Last December, the Golkar party splintered into two camps, with one of its conflicting factions supporting Agung Laksono and the other remaining loyal to incumbent chief Aburizal Bakrie.          Aburizal Bakrie was re-elected general chairman of the party when his Golkar camp organized a congress in Bali in December, while Agung Laksono was named chief of the other Golkar faction during a congress in Ancol, Jakarta, in the same month.          Both Laksono and Bakrie claimed that they were the party's legitimate leaders.          Since then, the country's oldest party had been split into two factions, with Bakrie leading a faction based on the party's congress in Bali and another under Laksono based on a Jakarta congress of the party.

INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT TO TAKE OVER MAHAKAM BLOCK

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 10 (Antara) - The government, through state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, resolved to take over the Mahakam oil block in East Kalimantan after French company PT Total E&P Indonesie ends its contract in 2017.         "The government's plan is clear: it will give the Mahakam block to Pertamina," Widhyawan Prawiraatmadja, the head of the Performance Control Unit of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), has stated.          Some quarters have raised doubts about the government's seriousness in taking over the oil block after its exploration by Total E&P for about 50 years.          Total Exploration and Production (Total E&P) Indonesie had been managing the Mahakam block contract since 1967. In 1997, it was extended for another 20 years, until 2017.          According to Prawiraatmadja, Pertamina will be able to operate the Mahakam block. "Pertamina will be able to operate it. One should not doubt the ability of his or her own nation," he added.

INDONESIA BOOSTING ITS FOOD CROP DEVELOPMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 8 (Antara) - Indonesia is giving a priority to agriculture development, particularly the food crop sector, in efforts to improve the welfare of farmers, meet domestic needs, remove dependence on imports, and compete in ASEAN Economic Community.          To achieve the goals, the government this year has set a fund of Rp22 trillion in its state budget to finance its agriculture development such as improving the irrigation system and providing farmers with agricultural tools.          Farmers will be assisted with various production facilities such as hand tractors and harvesting machines to increase the productivity their rice fields from the current approximate 5 tons per hectare to hopefully about 9 to 10 tons.          The government will also re-frame the cycles of country's crop planting and harvest seasons to avoid simultaneous and overlapping harvest times. Thus, food crop prices for farmers could consistently be maintained at favorable levels.

RI RISKS STRAINING BILATERAL TIES FOR SAKE OF DRUG WARS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 7 (Antara) - The Indonesian government through its National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has stepped up its fight against drug abuse, which has reached an alarming level in the country.          If left unheeded, narcotics trafficking in the country will destroy the future Indonesian generations.          Based on a survey conducted by the BNN and the University of Indonesia, about 70 percent of drug addicts are members of the younger generation. Now, at least 4.5 million Indonesians are drug addicts.          According to the BNN's data, the prevalence of drug addicts in Indonesia continues to reflect an upward trend. In 2008, the number of drug addicts was pegged at 3.3 million.          It rose to 4 million in 2011 and in 2015; it is expected to touch 5.1 million, or about 22.17 percent of the Australian population which in 2013 had reached 23 million.          However, Indonesia is facing challenges in its efforts to fight drug trafficking. It has also encountered resistance from abroad, when it meted out punishment, particularly death penalty for big time traffickers.

AUSTRALIANS UNLIKELY TO BOYCOTT BALI'S TOURISM

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, March 7 (Antara) - Bali is a paradise for Australians who have so far dominated foreign tourist arrivals in the Indonesian tourist resort province.          The Bali bombings in October 2002 killed 88 Australians and 76 other foreigners. But this did not hamper the Australian tourists to come to the island of gods.  Even, Australian tourist arrivals in Bali are now on the rise again.           According to data revealed by the Central Bureau of Statistics, 991,923 Australian tourists visited Bali in 2014, an increase of 20 percent as compared to the number of tourists recorded the previous year.      Also, in January 2015, Bali recorded 85,059 tourist arrivals from Australia.          Chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tours & Travel Agencies (ASITA) for  Bali Ketut Ardana  said Australian tourists consider Bali their second home as the island is located close to the country.

RICE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 3 (Antara) -- Besides suspecting the involvement of speculators, irregular distribution has also been blamed for the increase in the prices of rice in a number of regions since last month.          "The government suspects that the rise in the prices of rice, which reached up to 30 percent in recent days, was caused by acts of the rice mafia. This should not have happened if the state-owned logistics board's (Bulog) management was performing well," observer of economic affairs, Suroto, who is from the Strategic Socio-Economic Cadres Association (Akses), said on Monday.          Rice distribution was hampered by technical problems the last few months. This led Bulog to delay the release of its rice stocks. It said that the delay in the distribution of rice was because the regional governments carried out the verification of rice allocation applications (SPA) too slowly.         This delay in the distribution has been blamed for the rice price hikes, which have occurred in a number of regions in the country.

WERE RICE PRICE HIKES ORCHESTRATED?

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 3 (Antara) - It is believed that the hikes in the prices of rice in several regions since last month were caused by certain parties who manipulated rice trade conditions by withholding stocks to reap more profits.          However, the by-design price increases could have been orchestrated only locally by individuals in their respective regions, not by a rice cartel.           According to the Business Competition Supervisory Agency (KPPU), the price hikes of rice in recent days have nothing to do with a rice cartel or a rice mafia.          "If speculation is being carried out by individuals, it cannot be categorized as an act of a rice cartel or a rice mafia. This is only individuals responding to the current market trend," KPPU Commissioner Syarkawi Rauf said on Monday.          Yet, observers suspect that speculators are behind the price hikes of rice in various regions in the country. This is indicated by the fact that prices began to decrease after the government--the state-owned logistics board, Bulog, in this case---launched rice market operations.