GARUDA EXPANDS FLIGHTS IN PAPUA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 31 (Antara) - The easternmost provinces of West Papua and Papua, which were formerly one province called Irian Jaya before they were split into two provinces in 2003, have difficult geographical conditions for transportation services.          Land transportation is not yet effective as the infrastructure, notably roads, are not yet suitable for smooth connectivity among regions within the two provinces. So far, many travelers within the regions have been transported using small planes that could land at airstrips.          Therefore, the country's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is planning to increase its flight services in Papua and West Papua in order to provide adequate transportation means for the people of Papua and West Papua.          For West Papua, Garuda is planning to use a wide-bodied Boeing 737-800 aircraft to serve the Sorong-Jakarta route, while for the Papua, it is planning to expand its local flights by opening the Jayapura-Dekai route.

MINISTER LAUNCHES LAST PHASE OF E-WARONG PILOT PROJECT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 28 (Antara) - Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa in Jambi on Friday launched the last phase of the electronic warong (e-warong) pilot project, an electronic grocery store introduced by the government for social assistance recipients since mid-2016.          The government has decided to change the mechanism of its social assistance distribution system from cash-based to cashless through the e-warong project in a bid to prevent disparity in distribution, both in terms of quality and quantity.          Hence, the government was planning to launch at least 300 e-warong across the country designed to serve social assistance beneficiaries. All commodities offered by the shops will be supplied by the State Logistics Board Bulog.          Through the pilot project, the government will no longer conduct cash transactions for distributing the benefits of the Prosperous Family Card (KKS) to its holders. Recipients can use the card at the e-warong to avail social assistance to obtain sugar, cooking oil, and wheat.

INDONESIA POISED TO ACHIEVE 23 PERCENT ENERGY MIX

BY 2025 By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 26 (Antara) - Indonesia is determined to reduce its use of conventional fossil fuels and continues to promote new and renewable sources of energy and increase share of renewables in its energy mix to 23 percent by 2025.          According to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Iganasius Jonan, the government is poised to achieve its target of increasing the share of renewables in its energy mix use by 23 percent for electricity and transportation in 2025.          "Indonesia is resolved to increasing its energy mix to 23 percent in 2025 in line with its commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions it had made during the COP 21 conference in Paris in 2015," Jonan stated on Wednesday (Jan 25). Indonesia has planned to reduce its emissions by 26 percent by 2020 and 29 percent by 2030.          To achieve this target, Research, Technology and High Education Ministry (Kemristekdikti) has been urged to encourage research and development on new and renewable forms of energy in a bid to support the government's efforts to achieve the 23 percent energy mix target by 2025.          "The government is also doing its best to achieve its target of developing 35 thousand megawatts (MW) of electricity. In this case, the Kemristekdikti is tasked with encouraging research and development in the field of new energy technology, so that the 23 percent target would be achieved," Research, Technology and High Education Minister M. Nasir noted in Jakarta on Monday (Jan 9).

GOVT TO BUILD VARIOUS FACILITIES TO RESTORE PEATLANDS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 25 (Antara) - The government will continue to restore and preserve peatlands through the construction of various facilities such as long storages, canal blocks, artesian wells and irrigation canals.          The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has allocated Rp3 billion for the construction of long storage facility in 2017. The construction of the facility is to protect important places such as airports from the threat of peatland fires.          "In 2017, the PUPR Ministry allocated Rp3 billion to build long storages," Parlinggoman Simanungkalit, of the Natural Resource Research and Development Center of the PUPR Ministry, said recently.           According to Nazir Foead, the head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), the PUPR Ministry is committed to develop the long storage facility, which is meant to store water for use in peatland areas.          The budget for the development of the long storage project is included in the budget for the PUPR ministry, which is coordinated directly by the PUPR minister. Along the long storage area, artificial dams will also be built, so that the area could serve as a tourist destination.          "The project's budget is included in the budget of the PUPR ministry. In the area around the storage project, artificial lakes will also be built, which will serve as tourist spot," Nazir added.

RIAU PROVINCE VOWS TO BE HAZE-FREE THIS YEAR

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 24 (Antara) - Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman, whose province in recent years had been one of the main haze contributors due to forest and land fires in Sumatra, vowed on Monday to make his province smog-free this year.          To support his commitment to protect his province from haze, the governor called on all sides and the public around the forest areas to help support his efforts to prevent forests and land from fires.          "Thank God, last year, the haze was significantly reduced compared to the previous years during the dry season because of the efforts of all sides in carrying out prevention measures," Rachman said in a press statement made available to Antara in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on Monday.          This year, the governor is committed to take preventive measures by declaring a forest-and-land fire emergency alert status.          Earlier in the day, the governors of Riau and other provinces were invited to attend a national coordination meeting on forest fire prevention in Jakarta. In the meeting, President Jokowi reminded ministers and regional authorities to remain vigilant against forest fires, starting from early this year.

DEVELOPMENT FOCUSED ON BORDER AREAS TO PROMOTE EQUITABLE GROWTH

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 20 (Antara) - Without a more focused development program, the country's marginalized regions, border areas, and outlying regions will face difficulties in the form of various global challenges and stiff competition.          The central government and regional administrations had, so far, not given serious attention to the development of marginalized areas, border zones, and outlying regions. Hence, as a result, these areas are left powerless in the face of myriad challenges and global competition. The development policy has, so far, accorded priority to Java Island and was oriented merely to the urban people.          According to researcher Pande Made Kutanegara of the Population and Policy Study Center of Yograkarta's Gajah Mada University, there was negligence on the government's part, as its development programs were only oriented towards urban areas.          These regions need serious attention in terms of infrastructure facilities, human resources, and accessibility to various information both from the central government and the world.          Moreover, the local people in these regions harbor high spirits. Their regions have relatively good natural resources and economic potentials.          "Local people in the region still face difficulties in obtaining the latest information on the country, let alone about the world," Kutanegara remarked on Thursday (Jan 12).

WHEN WILL MINERAL ORE EXPORTS BE TOTALLY BANNED?

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 19 (Antara) - Indonesia has, for years, borne witness to the disadvantageous exploitation of its rich mineral resources, losing added values as mining companies simply tapped them and exported mineral ores in raw material form.          Virtually, the government had contemplated on stopping the export of raw minerals about a decade ago, but it could not do it all at once, as mining companies need time to build smelters to process and extract minerals before exporting it.          Hence, the government gave mining companies a deadline until January 2014 to prepare smelters after which raw mineral exports would be banned. However, by January 2014, the government again pushed back the export ban to January 2017.          This time around, mining companies are yet not ready with their smelters. It seems the government has once again relaxed the country's mineral ore exports as it had done in January 2014.          Through the newly introduced Government Regulation (PP) No. 1 of 2017, mining companies were urged to change their contract of work status to a special mining license (IUPK) to allow them to export raw minerals.          Moreover, the government is in the process of issuing a regulation on the exit tax rate for the exportation of raw minerals. These two steps, the IUPK and plan to issue a regulation on export tax, indicated the government's decision to grant more time for the export of raw minerals.

CPO EXPORT DROPS BUT PRICE ON THE RISE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 14 (Antara) - Indonesia's export of crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives fell by nearly 2 percent to 25.7 million tons in 2016 from 26.2 million tons in 2015.           Despite export decline, the price of crude palm oil (CPO) is on the rise, reflecting a good trend, and has reached Rp9.140 per kilogram (kg), as recorded by the Joint Marketing Office (KPB) of PT Pekebunan Nusantara on January 9.           "The CPO business was now thriving well because apart from the improving price, the demand for this commodity is also increasing," Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) for North Sumatra, Setia Dharma Sebayang, said in Medan on Saturday.           In Rotterdam, the CPO's price was US$180 per metric ton. He said the CPO's price was improving on account of many factors, such as an improvement in the global economy.           The price of and demand for CPO is predicted to remain positive, he added.          "While the price of CPO and its demand are improving in North Sumatra, North Sumatra's foreign exchange reserves are also expected to increase," Sebayang noted.

GOVERNMENT THREATENS TO REVOKE PERMITS OF MINING COMPANIES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 14 (Antara) - Mining companies have, so far, benefited from exploiting and exporting Indonesia's mineral ores without processing it at home, thereby causing losses to the nation.          Hence, in 2009, the government had taken a decision to ban the export of raw minerals and made it mandatory for mining companies to build smelters. It decided to ban the export of unprocessed mineral ores as of January 2014 in a bid to encourage miners to process ore domestically.          However, after protest from the industry, the implementation of the ban was pushed back to January 11, 2017, to give an opportunity to mining companies to build smelters.          The government has currently issued an ultimatum to miners who have yet to build smelters. Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Ignasius Jonan affirmed that he will revoke the concentrate export permits of companies that delayed the construction of their smelters.          "They have to build smelters if they want to export concentrates. They have to at least promise to build the smelters in five years, with a stamped statement, or else I will revoke their permits," Jonan stated at the ESDM ministry building in Jakarta on Thursday (January 12).

RI NEEDS TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE SALT PRODUCTION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 13 (Antara) - Indonesia has not been able to meet its need for salt although it has a vast stretch of coastal areas conducive to salt production.          To meet its needs for both consumer salt and industrial salt, the country is forced to import the commodity. However, salt farmers complain about the imports because domestic production cannot compete against imported commodity, and is negatively impacted.      Data with the state-owned salt company, PT Garam, showed that the national need for salt has reached 4.04 million tons per annum. It consisted of 1.3 million tons of consumer salt and 2.74 million tons of industrial salt.          Of the salt imported for industry, 2.14 million tons was for chemical industry (ACP), 1,000 tons for pharmacies and 40,000 tons for oil mining.          Last year, domestic salt production of just 144,009 tons accounted for a meagre four percent of its 3 million tons target.          In order to boost domestic production, Indonesia needs to use advanced technology. Maritime and fisheries observer Abdul Halim said the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) need to be involved in efforts to increase salt production.

GOVERNMENT SHOULD ANTICIPATE DROP IN CHILI PRICES AFTER HIKE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 13 (Antara) - The government needs to anticipate the possibility of a "free fall" in the price of chili after the perishable commodity witnessed a spike in cost in various parts of the country in recent weeks.          The increase in the prices of chili, ranging from the normal rate of about Rp50,000 per kilogram (kg) to some Rp150,000-Rp200,000 per kg, triggered an outcry among consumers.          Moreover, prices, which were on the rise in at least 76 cities, contributed 0.47 percent to the country's inflation rate, which stood at 3.02 percent.          In the face of this condition, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has encouraged people and housewives across the country to promote the movement of growing chilies at home.          The minister's call encouraged several others, including the military circle in Surabaya, East Java, to echo the benefits of growing chili.          "We encourage the people to plant chili on their idle land or in their house yards," Surabaya's Rungkut Sub-district Military Command Chief Maj Supriyo Triwahono noted in Surabaya on Wednesday (January 11).

GOVT TO TIGHTEN CONTROL ON PILOTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 12 (Antara) -  The pilot and the co-pilot of an aircraft should be in optimal state of physical and mental health because the lives of the passengers and cabin crew are in their hands.          Recently, Indonesia's low-cost carrier Citilink escaped fatal consequences, after its passengers objected to flying with the allegedly drunk pilot on board.          The passengers disembarked from the Surabaya-Jakarta bound airplane after hearing the pilot make a garbled announcement, who was later diagnosed as having an adjustment disorder.          In another incident, two Susi Air pilots were flown from the Central Java town of Cilacap to Jakarta on Wednesday (January 11) to undergo further laboratory tests at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) after they tested positive for morphine.          Many have urged the government to tighten the control on transportation services in order to ensure the safety of passengers.

JAKARTA-SEMARANG TOLL ROADS TO BE PASSABLE THIS YEAR

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 11 (Antara) - Eid al-Fitr travelers in Java can breathe a sigh of relief, as the government has ensured that the toll roads connecting Jakarta with Semarang in Central Java will be passable this year.         Every year, Eid al-Fitr travelers heading to their hometowns, known as "mudik," for holidays, or "Lebaran," often face major gridlocks. With the Jakarta-Semarang toll roads, covering a distance of about 460 kilometers (km), to become passable for vehicles, travelers will have more alternative lanes to avoid traffic jams.          The Jakarta-Semarang toll roads are parts of the Trans Java Toll Road, which stretches some 815 km from Merak of Banten Province in the western tip of Java to Surabaya of East Java in the eastern part of the island.          The Merak-Jakarta and Jakarta-Cikampek combined sections, spanning about 260 km, have been operational since 1984 and 1988 respectively. The Cikampek-Cirebon section, spanning some 160 km, was inaugurated in the middle of 2016. The Cirebon-Semarang section is expected to become operational this year.

GOVT SHOULD FOCUS ON TAPPING FISHERIES RESOURCES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 9 (Antara) - The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) should now focus on the utilization of the country's abundant fisheries resources, and not on their supervision only.          The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) wants the government to pay more attention to the marine and fisheries sector in 2017.         "We hope the government will pay more attention to the marine and fishery businesses," Kadin's Deputy for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Yugi Prayanto  has said.          The optimal utilization of Indonesia's vast marine areas and rich fisheries resources can earn the government trillions of rupiah in annual revenues. Its marine and fisheries resources have a revenue potential of up to Rp3000 trillion or about US$55.6 billion a year based on data at the KKP  in 2001.         According to Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, abundant fishery resources are currently only found in the seas of Indonesia's maritime territory, and their sustainability should be maintained.        "Our fishery potential is extraordinary as now only Indonesia has abundant fish stocks," Minister Pudjiastuti stated at a fishery business and investment last week (December 30).

GOVT TO REVOKE VISA-FREE FACILITY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 8 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has decided to revoke its visa-free facility for a number  of countries but it has not disclosed how many countries of the 169 facility recipients will be affected as it will still carry out further evaluations.          According to Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, several visa-free facility recipients will be affected based on a preliminary evaluation but he would not reveal it too early, leaving it to the Immigration Directorate General to announce it later.          The government has provided visa waiver facility to 169 countries in an effort to promote its tourism and support its target to win 20 million foreign tourist arrivals by 2019.          In March 2015, the government granted the facility for 30 countries, taking the total number of beneficiaries of the policy to 45, including the 15 existing free visa recipients.          By March 2016, the government has provided the facility to 169 recipients. The main objective of the policy is to promote the country's tourism. However, many circles considered that the facility has the potential to be abused. It also seen to have failed in contributing to the economy.

FOREIGN FIRMS URGED TO FLOAT SHARES AT STOCK EXCHANGE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 7 (Antara) - Foreign companies, whose assets and income originate in Indonesia, are being urged to float their shares on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) as an Initial Public Offering (IPO).          There are some 52 foreign investment companies in Indonesia that fall into these categories. If the 52 foreign firms have their shares listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange, the BEI would value their total stake at Rp400 trillion.          Therefore, the BEI president director, Tito Sulistio, has delivered the list of the 52 foreign investment companies to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The aim of the BEI is to ask the government to encourage those companies to launch IPOs on the Indonesian Stock Exchange.          Tito said there are 52 foreign companies conducting business in the country, having a potential of listing Rp400 trillion worth of shares on the BEI.          He said among those 52 companies, three have indicated interest in launching initial public offerings (IPO) at the BEI this year. Two of the foreign companies are operating in the mining sector, while the other is in the property sector.

CHILI PRICES SOARING IN VARIOUS CITIES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 6 (Antara) - The prices of chili, one of the most important commodities in the country, have continued to skyrocket in the past few weeks.          Prices are on the rise in at least 76 cities, contributing 0.47 percent to the country's inflation rate, which stood at 3.02 percent.          Chili is being sold at varying increased prices in areas, such as West Papua and East Kalimantan, where the commodity's price has reached Rp200,000 per kilogram (kg), which is more than four folds that in Aceh Province, at Rp35,000 per kg.          The current per kg price of chili in Aceh has returned back to normal from Rp110,000 last week.          Chili is being sold at a steep price, reaching Rp200,000 per kg, in West Papua, notably in Waisai City of Raja Ampat District.          In Nunukan, North Kalimantan, the price per kg of chili is Rp150,000, while in Central Java, particularly in Banyumas District, it is sold at Rp120,000 per kg.

GOVT TO SET UP CYBER AGENCY TO FIGHT FAKE NEWS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 4 (Antara) - The Indonesian government will soon establish a National Cyber Agency to help overcome the threat of fake news that aims to spread slanderous messages and hatred through social media.          President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had instructed him during a meeting to immediately establish the National Cyber Agency, according to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto.          The president had directed that the agency be formed at the earliest to curb the spread of false news that could threaten people and harm their interests.          The spread of hoax messages through the social media, among others, can create confusion and doubts about the veracity of the information. Irresponsible parties can thus exploit this confusion created to sow hatred,  and create disunity and hostility among the people, the minister explained.      "We are technologically advanced now. We are grateful that technology has facilitated better education and helped disseminate information faster, but we are also concerned because individuals could use it to spread defamatory material. This confuses people," Wiranto stressed on Tuesday (January 3).

GOVT TO RETAIN FOCUS ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN 2017

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 3 (Antara) - Infrastructure is one of the backbones of economic growth so the government will retain its focus on infrastructure development this year.         Last year, infrastructure did not function optimally in supporting economic growth.         Moreover, many damaged infrastructural facilities have not yet been repaired. This has hampered industrial progress and efforts to improve the competitive edge of products.         Therefore, according to Prof Werry Darta Taifur, economic analyst of West Sumatra's Andalas University, the government will still focus on building infrastructure this year.          "I am convinced that infrastructure is the backbone of Indonesia in reinforcing its economic growth," Werry said in Padang on Tuesday.         Werry argued that, up to last year, infrastructure in the regions was not maximally utilized and many facilities needed improvement. As a result, economic activity, notably industrial development, was hindered and failed to increase product competitiveness vis-à-vis overseas goods.