ACEH TO TAP TOURISM POTENTIAL THROUGH SAIL EVENT

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 30 (Antara) - Aceh Province is a special region of Indonesia located in northern end of Sumatra Island and is rich in natural resources of oil and gas.         However, a towering tsunami, triggered by a devastating earthquake that ruined its capital Banda Aceh and killed about 170 hundred people in late 2004, forced the province to rebuild from the scrap.         Now, Aceh is rebuilding its economy, including its tourism. As a province once wrecked by an earthquake known to the whole world, Aceh has the potential to offer its exclusive objects that attractive to tourists.         Hence, the regional government of Aceh is making preparations to organize an international sail event as a means of exhibiting and marketing its tourism potential to the world tourists.         The sail event which is part of the national annual event of 'Sail Indonesia', is called 'Sail Sabang' as it will focus in Sabang Island of the province.         The local government is now making preparations to organize the Sail Sabang event which will take place from November 28 to December 2017. It is expected that more than 100 yachts from different countries will take part in the international yacht rally.

CEILING PRICE OF RICE SET TO PROTECT CONSUMERS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 30 (Antara) - As a staple food of the country, rice is very important for Indonesia, which has a population of over 257 million. Its price stability therefore needs to be maintained.          To maintain price stability, the government has fixed a rice ceiling price (HET). The ceiling is set for medium and premium quality of rice to prevent its price from soaring or being taken advantage of by middlemen or traders who hoard the commodity for excessive gains.         With the HET, traders are not allowed to sell rice higher than the ceiling price. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that the authority would impose sanctions against rice traders who set medium and premium quality rice price higher than its ceiling price.          "There will be monitoring and sanctions and, at least, revocation of the license for those who sell rice above the ceiling price," Kalla stated in Jakarta on Tuesday (Aug 29).          The government has formulated sanctions against traders who violate the regulation while waiting for the imposition of rice ceiling price on Sept 1.          According to Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, the imposition of ceiling price of rice constitutes the government's real effort to protect the interests of consumers. "The imposition of the ceiling price will benefit the people or the customers as they can get rice at a controlled price. So, price control is effective," said the trade minister at the Presidential Palace Complex on Monday (Aug 28).

INDONESIA POISED TO BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT IN SALT IN 2019

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 30 (Antara) - Salt is one of the commodities still imported by Indonesia, though the country has the potential to produce and meet its own annual domestic demand of some four million tons.          Indonesia was able to become self-sufficient in salt production for a period of four years from 2012 to 2015, but due to weather anomalies, it has been importing the commodity again.          Last year, for instance, domestic salt production of just 144 thousand tons accounted for a meager four percent of its target of three million tons.          Data from the state-owned salt company PT Garam revealed that the national demand for salt has reached 4.04 million tons per annum comprising 1.3 million tons of consumer salt and 2.74 million tons of industrial salt.          Of the salt imported for the industry, 2.14 million tons was for the chemical industry, one thousand tons for pharmacies, and 40 thousand tons for oil mining.         Hence, the government is determined to regain its earlier position of being self-sufficient in salt production.

GOVERNMENT TO REPLACE FISHERMEN'S UNFRIENDLY FISHING TOOLS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 28 (Antara) - The government, through the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (KKP), will replace fishermen's environment-unfriendly fishing tools, such as trawls and seine nets, with friendly ones.        For this purpose, the KKP is collecting data on fishermen who will receive assistance from the government to replace their fishing tools.        "We are making an inventory of fishermen recipients. We have time to collect data on them until Dec 2017. Their fishing equipment must be replaced with environment-friendly ones," Saifuddin, director for licensing and fishing affairs of the KKP, said in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Sunday.         The government is providing fishing tool replacement assistance for fishermen with fishing boats of 10 gross tonnage (10 GT) and lower. But the KKP accords priority to those with vessels of 5GT and lower.         Actually, on the national scale, there are not many regions where fishermen use unfriendly fishing tools. Among the regions are Central Java, Lampung, and West Kalimantan. The replacement of their tools will not be done all at once, but in stages.

GOVERNMENT ASKED TO CONCRETIZE FREEPORT'S DIVESTMENT PLAN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 26 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has been asked to concretize its plan to divest 51 percent of US-based gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia (FP) stake by assigning a state company to take over the divested shares.          The Indonesian government is still negotiating several issues, including the divestment of the 51 percent shares with FP, whose mining operation contract will expire in 2021. The government has stressed that FP will be allowed to extend its mining operation permit if it divests 51 percent of its shares to the Indonesian government.          "I agree with the government's step to take over 51 percent of FP stake. Therefore, we call on the government to take a concrete step regarding the divestment," Legislator Ahmad M Ali of Commission VII on energy affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR) stated in Jakarta on Thursday (Aug 24).          Hence, the lawmaker, who is a politician of the National Democrat Party (NasDem), asked the government to concretize its proposal on the divestment of Freeport by assigning a state-owned enterprise (SOE), including the payment system and legal instrument.

GOVERNMENT PROMISES TO LOWER CEMENT PRICES IN PAPUA

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 24 (Antara) - The prices of commodities are exceptionally high in Papua Province compared to the other regions in the country due to constraints in transportation.          One of the commodities in the province whose price has skyrocketed and has reached one to two million per sack is cement.          In order to solve the high price disparity, the government is currently boosting road infrastructure and port development while launching an integrated air and sea toll routes that would facilitate cargo and human transportation in Papua.          The government, through Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE), Rini Soemarno, has promised to take efforts to cut the disparity of cement prices in Papua.          "I promise that I would try to further lower the price of cement so that it can be made affordable to the people in the two districts of Puncak Jaya and Jayawijaya, the mountainous region in Papua. Hopefully, one day, the price in the mountainous and coastal areas will both be the same, "Soemarno stated in Timika on Wednesday.

INDONESIA, VIETNAM ENHANCE BILATERAL TIES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 24 (Antara) - Indonesia and Vietnam, the two neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, continue to increase bilateral ties in various fields, such as trade, investment, and other economic and social sectors.              "Our relations with Vietnam are not new. We have established friendly relations since the past 60 years. In 2013, we had set up a strategic partnership," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated in connection with the current visit of a Vietnamese top leader.              In order to further intensify bilateral ties, Secretary General of Vietnam's Socialist Party Nguyen Phu Trong is on a three-day visit to Indonesia on Aug 22-24. He was welcomed in a ceremony led by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in Jakarta on Wednesday.              Minister Marsudi noted that Trong is visiting Indonesia to increase cooperation, particularly in the business sector. Indonesia views huge business potential between the two countries.              According to Marsudi, Indonesia's trade with Vietnam has shown rapid growth. Cars are one of the biggest imports of the socialist country from Indonesia.              "Our exports of completely built-up (CBU) cars to Vietnam are the biggest. Hence, Vietnam's biggest car imports came from Indonesia," Marsudi said after accompanying President Jokowi to receive Trong at the Merdeka Palace.